Best typ of cars to buy (in my opinion)

[68BabyBlue]

So OP just exactly how many of those "survivors" do you think are laying around in some old ladies garage waiting to be discovered and bought worth the $$!?
Mopar and old car people want perfecta and they want it for cheap.
Projects are too high and for sale by crack heads. Pretty much.
The restored cars people want, the seller paid some resto shop $80,000 to do a $40,000 car.
The Mopar buyer buys a car that he spend weeks running down and talking down the price, and soon as he gets it home, all of a sudden it worth twice what he paid and its perfect and the seller was an idiot!

I've bought some really nice GTXs for reasonable money over the years, but I've spent years on the search, not weeks.

 

[blue69runner]

Got the car of my dreams. But when I got into the resto found more problem's than expected. More body work than thought. It got deeper and deeper. Needed a new block for the motor and did not have the original four speed transmission. Bought every thing for it and made it a bucket seat with console. 5 year's out of my life working on the car and am retired. Thought I had taken on a new job. But you know when it was finished I am happy. How much did it cost 7 thou. for the project car and a hole bunch to fix it up. In the end I know what has been done to the car from every nut an bolt to the motor and body work as well as the paint. A love or passion to own a true muscle car. Just bought a used HD trike for a lot less than this car cost me did not want to work on another project right now. LOL. So guess the end thing is get what you want and enjoy it.

 

[747mopar]

I like solid basketcases, projects that got torn apart and never finished because they're cheap and I have zero use for anything that reassembles "factory correct". Half the fun is the build.

 

[Kern Dog]

Cars that meet your "best car to buy" criteria are still going to have lots of issues and will need to be gone through thoroughly. All the wiring is probably going to be crumbling, rubber hoses, belts etc will all be old and ready to break, the list goes on.

Not necessarily. Most of my interior wiring is original and in excellent condition.

 

[Super Rob]

They did this WITHOUT my approval. We never even talked about this.
I learned my lesson there for sure...

The reason doesn't matter. In the end you are also responsible for butchering the car. Like all the previous owners and mechanics you are complaining about.
Who lives in glass houses...

 

[747mopar]

I found one of what I would call a screaming hot deal a few years ago and will be starting on very soon. It's a 72 Satty, yes I've heard it a million times.. 2nd gens (actually 3rd gen on Satty's) are undesirable, ugly ... maybe to some but not me. I happen to love the mean looking grill and I definitely like the interiors way better than the pillows all over the dash looking cars of 68-70.

It's all there but has the wrong motor, wrong tranny, horrific wiring, incorrect front bench seat but it's solid, almost zero rust for $3,500. It even came with a trunk full of brand new lenses, weatherstripping, etc. This is what I look for, low value cool cars that provide a blank slate.

 

[66 Sat]

Not necessarily. Most of my interior wiring is original and in excellent condition.
View attachment 1151075

Agree that there will be exceptions, but generally, after that much time the wiring becomes brittle and soldered connections start coming apart. If it's untouched then it's not so bad, but you start pulling on it, it can start to break. My point was that the OP wants a 50 year old car in 1 year old condition which simply isn't possible. Everything deteriorates over time regardless of how it's kept. He's also comparing a 1990 car with a 1969 car and wondering why one is in better condition than the other. Umm how about 21 years of potential deterioration?

 

[barbee6043]

I have restored many, parted many, flipped many, just got many running...etc. like many of you all that has been in the hobby for decades.
I love the excitement every thing I accomplish even the smallest task!!
I love saving a car that many would just throw away. Theur excuse? Too hard, too many $, too much work, wife won't let me,no tools, no skill, no place to work....etc
I love the hunt, I hate the BS of selling anything but a project. The BS from people that want a pecfect done car for nothing and then pick apart every little detail and then want to low ball the chit out of you! Ha

 

[Michael_]

The reason doesn't matter. In the end you are also responsible for butchering the car. Like all the previous owners and mechanics you are complaining about.
Who lives in glass houses...

Well as i said, i learned my lesson there for sure: Dont trust any mechanic.
By now i'm even as paranoid that i do not want to let anyone work on my car without me being present.

Since you're from hamburg: Are you by any chance affiliated with a hotshot called klaus borrmann?

 

[Ron H]

Yep – been down that road a few times. And the result? Spending more time reworking da chit done to make it right than it would have taken to do to begin with. There’s a saying I’ve heard, and some versions of it that, forever sticks in my mind. First was when I started my first job at a machine shop having to clean machines. My boss took me over to a lathe that hadn’t been cleaned for a good while saying “I want you to clean this machine like you would your car…not your old man’s car.” Other versions are anyone doing work for you, could be cars, home repairs, etc. that would do the work like it is their car or home… not someone else’s.