How to buy a classic car

[midtown 3350]

I'm probably 6mos to a year away from buying a classic car.  67 GTO.  The great one.   

I know very little about buying and maintaining a classic so I wanted a long lead time to educate myself and research.  I know the closer to original the more expensive.   I don't need or want that.  I don't want a show car. .  I want a car that is been modernized for driving and hopefully less maintenance and break downs.    I've looked online and there are some that are $25k that look good and others that are $80k.   

What trouble and I getting at $25k-40k?   I get that they need a thorough inspection for rust, bent frames,  and other issues that would cost thousands to fix.  

Edited September 3, 2020 by midtown

[TwiceHorn 31991]

 

[TwiceHorn 31991]

As you are probably aware, a full restoration striving to match the original can be extremely spendy.

What you are probably looking for is a "restomod" that strives to get the running gear in good condition, with perhaps a few modern upgrades.  Some can go so far as to replace the original engine with a more modern V8..  Those can be medium spendy.

Then there's sort of the middle course, where the car is left mostly original, but everything is rebuilt/replaced to good operating condition.

With the exception perhaps of electrical, an old GTO should be fairly reliable.  The 67 dispensed with the TriPower "six pack," so you won't have to worry about that aspect of originality/reliability.

[midtown 3350]

Thank you.   Restomod sound like me.  Doesn't sound like a complete money pit.   Ill switch over the other thread.  

[tokamak 6685]

Where are you buying it from? I've dreamt of being in this market myself one day.

[RDCanecutter 26854]

5 hours ago, midtown said:

I'm probably 6mos to a year away from buying a classic car.  67 GTO.  The great one.  

You're gonna want sideburns, and a pack of cigarettes rolled up in the sleeve of your white tshirt.

You don't have to smoke em, but pretty sure they need to be there, in that sleeve.

[Liteitup 144]

https://www.streetsideclassics.com/vehicles?q[make_eq]=Pontiac&q[model_eq]=GTO

 

No affiliation except a buddy used them sell his low mileage Z-28 a few years ago. Seemed to work out ok.

[horn4life 3829]

7 hours ago, Liteitup said:

https://www.streetsideclassics.com/vehicles?q[make_eq]=Pontiac&q[model_eq]=GTO

 

No affiliation except a buddy used them sell his low mileage Z-28 a few years ago. Seemed to work out ok.

If nothing else the site is a great snapshots of values for asks and sold classic cars.  Of course the sales may or may not have been at the published price.  

I think for folks that just want something cool to drive just go the restomod route.  I would probably go that route just for the disc brakes alone.

[XYZ 2154]

Find a car that has already been restored, or mostly restored. It will be cheaper than buying a piece of crap and spending a small fortune restoring it. Unless restoring a car is what you really want. I would love to own a big American coupe from the 60s (Roadrunner/Charger, GTO, Chevelle, Impala, etc) with a big V8.

[Mother mopar 3379]

You can get a good car for under $40k but you have may have to calibrate what all that in tells. Restomod seems the way you are leaning and they are fun and less maintenance and parts interchangeability and aftermarket is pretty broad. You're going to pay for it though. Are you brand loyal? You start getting into a niche cars price goes up, also if the top goes down the price goes up, more cubic inches more money. Just something you need to think about.

 

Are you mechanically inclined? If so, you can overreach as you can do the maintenance and save some money. Be forewarned I have never owned a muscle car that didn't involve in-depth maintenance at one point in time, need to budget for that. Find a type of car you like and then lurk on those forums for months before pulling the trigger this will help immensely.

 

Hit up car shows and races as well, people are always trying to get out of the hobby. When the economy starts to take a dump (depending on your time frame) you can find good deals. Be patient and if you're unsure don't buy it. It is expensive to pay for someone else's mistakes. Trust me on this.

 

If you're looking for Mopars PM me and I can direct you to some folks/sites. Happy hunting man, keep us posted. Remember there is no replacement for displacement

 

 

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

1 hour ago, Mother mopar said:

You can get a good car for under $40k but you have may have to calibrate what all that in tells. Restomod seems the way you are leaning and they are fun and less maintenance and parts interchangeability and aftermarket is pretty broad. You're going to pay for it though. Are you brand loyal? You start getting into a niche cars price goes up, also if the top goes down the price goes up, more cubic inches more money. Just something you need to think about.

 

Are you mechanically inclined? If so, you can overreach as you can do the maintenance and save some money. Be forewarned I have never owned a muscle car that didn't involve in-depth maintenance at one point in time, need to budget for that. Find a type of car you like and then lurk on those forums for months before pulling the trigger this will help immensely.

 

Hit up car shows and races as well, people are always trying to get out of the hobby. When the economy starts to take a dump (depending on your time frame) you can find good deals. Be patient and if you're unsure don't buy it. It is expensive to pay for someone else's mistakes. Trust me on this.

 

If you're looking for Mopars PM me and I can direct you to some folks/sites. Happy hunting man, keep us posted. Remember there is no replacement for displacement

 

 

Damned proselytizer  !!! : )

 

I still say you can find a good daily driver in the $20-25K range for many makes. The 67 GTO not so much...  Resto mod is the way to go unless you're looking for a concourse, by the numbers at least vehicle like you're doing.  

The new suspension, power steering, clutch systems, electrical components (lights, voltage regulators), and disc brakes are so much better than the old stuff that leaked, under steered, were stiff, crapped out all the time, or just don't perform as well as what the modern systems can do while still giving you the authentic body, and look.

[Bevo&Pevo 5508]

If you are not car "smart" take someone who is with you.  If you are wanting daily driver reliability then go with some type of LS swapped engine with matched late model trans.  Fuel injection is the way to go for reliability.  Carbs are good and they have their place.  Gearheads love to tinker and tune so it is a good choice for 'em.  Dash upgrades aren't too bad either with the LS styled engines.   However, if you are old school minded GM made an asston of good engines that can be modded to fit your style.  Basics to check, body lines-look down the length of the car for bulges or indentations.  Check the gap in the seams where body panels meet.  Rust, double check bottom of back glass, rocker panels, quarter panels.  Take a magnet and use a kleenex (so you don't accidently scratch someone's paint) place on any area you suspect bondo.   Magnet should stick if there is enough metal. Check ground under the car where it sits in the garage, should be no wet spots.  Run the car,  return to driveway and before you leave check under it again.  This time look at trans pan, rear diff, eng oil pan, area where eng and trans meet (rear main seal area), radiator.  Once the fluids get hot and thin out, it makes it easier for 'em to leak or seep. The more eyes you put on it the better the chance you have of getting something you'll be happy with.

[elfenix 34658]

3 hours ago, Mother mopar said:

You can get a good car for under $40k but you have may have to calibrate what all that in tells. Restomod seems the way you are leaning and they are fun and less maintenance and parts interchangeability and aftermarket is pretty broad. You're going to pay for it though. Are you brand loyal? You start getting into a niche cars price goes up, also if the top goes down the price goes up, more cubic inches more money. Just something you need to think about.

 

Are you mechanically inclined? If so, you can overreach as you can do the maintenance and save some money. Be forewarned I have never owned a muscle car that didn't involve in-depth maintenance at one point in time, need to budget for that. Find a type of car you like and then lurk on those forums for months before pulling the trigger this will help immensely.

 

Hit up car shows and races as well, people are always trying to get out of the hobby. When the economy starts to take a dump (depending on your time frame) you can find good deals. Be patient and if you're unsure don't buy it. It is expensive to pay for someone else's mistakes. Trust me on this.

 

If you're looking for Mopars PM me and I can direct you to some folks/sites. Happy hunting man, keep us posted. Remember there is no replacement for displacement

 

 

[midtown 3350]

How much trouble would I be in if I found a 67 GTO with all good bones and just needed a restomod?  

I was thinking about how much I liked the engine in my CTS V.  LSA 6.2L Supercharged.    A crate is 12k.    Am I just doing a money pit by jamming a crate engine in a GTO?  Would it need all kinds of work to jam a big crate V8 in there and add a matching manual?   Or any LS crate.   I see some at $8400.

Edited September 9, 2020 by midtown

[Mach 1 1677]

19 minutes ago, midtown said:

  Am I just doing a money pit by jamming a crate engine in a GTO?  Would it need all kinds of work to jam a big crate V8 in there and add a matching manual?   

Yes.  Cars 50 years ago were not engineered for the power of a modern LS.. Suspension upgrades, differential, brakes, and probably some chassis beefing.

This is not personal knowledge, but just what I've read over the years in classic car forums.

[Sbbruin 22082]

On 9/3/2020 at 6:50 AM, midtown said:

I'm probably 6mos to a year away from buying a classic car.  67 GTO.  The great one.   

I know very little about buying and maintaining a classic so I wanted a long lead time to educate myself and research.  I know the closer to original the more expensive.   I don't need or want that.  I don't want a show car. .  I want a car that is been modernized for driving and hopefully less maintenance and break downs.    I've looked online and there are some that are $25k that look good and others that are $80k.   

What trouble and I getting at $25k-40k?   I get that they need a thorough inspection for rust, bent frames,  and other issues that would cost thousands to fix.  

I was just watching "The Cars that Built America" on History Channel or one of those just this past weekend.  Wasn't aware that John DeLorean initially came up with the GTO.  

[midtown 3350]

7 minutes ago, Sbbruin said:

Wasn't aware that John DeLorean initially came up with the GTO. 

Not only that there is a GTO for sale out there for an ungodly sum that is rumored to be his personal GTO.

[Catpfish 618]

I know next to nothing, but I watch the hell out of car restoration shows on TV.  It's pretty much a given that when they are adding a crate motor or beefing up the motor, they either seriously add structure or they just get a new frame made to handle the torque and demands of the added horses.  

[Francisco 2.0 32544]

Mom and dad used to have a stable of restored TBirds (55, 56 and 57).  They downsized and sold off the 55 and 56 a few years back.  Still have a handful of other things.

As anything old that can be bought in varying stages of restoration, YMMV.  It takes loads of research, phone calls, time.  The three they bought came from three different locations of the country (Virginia, Texas and Utah). They did some quasi-background checks of the owners before purchasing to ensure they were not buying from someone with a history of scamming, selling shit, etc.  On their '57, they went a few years from the "let's get a 57" until actually purchasing one.  They  took a few trips to check out a car they didn't go home with, because the owner omitted something in the description and photos, or the car wasn't exactly what was advertised.

What kind of relationship do you have with your banker?  Can be very helpful, along with your insurance agent.  

Full disclosure from the seller on everything.  If they have documentation, ask to see it. Ask them to make a copy at your expense and mail it to you. Get a second opinion from someone who is a collector, if possible.

Numbers matching don't mean shit in an age when those can be faked.  And yes, they are.

Also, reproduction parts.  How much of the car is original?  Owner should disclose what has been replaced with a repro and what is original.

 

 

[midtown 3350]

Surprised there aren't car buying services for classic cars.   I tell someone I want this and this and this.   And they locate and inspect and have it shipped.  I'd pay a few thousand for that.

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

1 hour ago, midtown said:

Surprised there aren't car buying services for classic cars.   I tell someone I want this and this and this.   And they locate and inspect and have it shipped.  I'd pay a few thousand for that.

There are kind of.  I've run across Mustang sites that buy, and restore vehicles, and then re sell, or they sell on consignment. Haven't seen a vehicle specific co. but I bet there's something out there. 

[ROFL BOX 6654]

Yeah, exactly what @Onboard 2.0 said.  May as well go through a reputable retailer who specializes in the vehicle you want.

What price sanity & peace of mind?