Looking at this 67 Firebird

[motoboy]

I went out and looked at this 67 Firebird, but having a hard time with the price. Is it worth the asking price? I'm thinking it's worth more like $7000-7500. It's not currently running, and has a very small amount of rust behind the passenger wheel area(normal spot). The underside is perfect, the doors/hood/trunk all shut great and the body gaps are perfect. The owner is firm on the price, it was her late husbands car, a pretty sad story.

http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/hn...245771172.html

Let me know what you guys think.
Thanks, John

[T_Raven]

I wouldn't pay that much for it. I'm guessing you're going to modify it so consider that the parts you replace aren't going to be worth much. But if the body only needs minor repairs before painting then a cheaper one with more rust could end up costing more if you are going to have to pay for body work. So say you really only want the body you'd be paying about $8000 for a pretty solid body, you could buy a rust bucket for $2000 and easily spend $6000 more on replacement metal and glass plus labor. I doubt she'll get $8500 for it but it all just depends how much you want it.

[motoboy]

I wouldn't pay that much for it. I'm guessing you're going to modify it so consider that the parts you replace aren't going to be worth much. But if the body only needs minor repairs before painting then a cheaper one with more rust could end up costing more if you are going to have to pay for body work. So say you really only want the body you'd be paying about $8000 for a pretty solid body, you could buy a rust bucket for $2000 and easily spend $6000 more on replacement metal and glass plus labor. I doubt she'll get $8500 for it but it all just depends how much you want it.

I agree, as clean as it is, I don't want it for $8500. It's real clean and needs minimal bodywork to get into paint. Maybe I'm just not ready for the financial commitment for the Camaro/Firebirds yet. I just can see the potential with this one.
Thanks for the reply.

[bdahlg68]

Unless you're planning to replace sheet metal yourself, that isn't a bad deal. If it is really as straight and clean as it seems, it's worth $8000+ in my opinion. In fact, if I didn't have my car already, I'd buy this one and would be willing to pay the $8000! You'll spend $2000+ for a rust bucket missing lots of parts. Not to mention the peace of mind and simplicity of doing a deal relatively close to home. These cars aren't everywhere and finding a clean project car can take a lot of time. You'll always be able to find $2000 basket cases and $15000 drivers. These in between cars are rare in my opinion. What is your plan for the project? Pro-touring or just restore? That could influence your decision too.

[motoboy]

I was thinking restomod and not a full blown pro-touring restoration. Stock interior with new gauges, two piece wheels with updated suspension. Maybe go LS power with 4l60e so my wife could drive it.
I was also thinking to just fix the minor rust and run the car with the original paint, kind of a patina pro touring look. I have young kids(3 and 5)so that way I'd never worry about them scratching the paint.
Decisions, decisions.