I went and purchased the car today! I want to thank everyone for the advise and opinions they were very helpful. I did take the car to a local body shop that paints classic cars and had them check it out. They said the floors, trunk, doors and rear quarters were very solid. They said the front fenders appeared to only have minor rust by the front fender extensions. They said the frame and undercarraige was solid with minor surface rust, but recomended I get them blasted and painted soon.

I have not purchased the motor yet. The guy did show me all of the motor stamps and went through the decoding books. Based on what he showed me the motor does appear to be a 300hp 327 out of a 1965 Chevelle. He wants $700 for it and I have until Friday to decide.

Once again thanks for the help with this decision!


I am looking at buying a 1968 camaro. The guy is asking $11,500 for the car. Another guy has looked at the vehicle and offered him 10K. I looked at the vehcile first and told him I was interested so he said that I can have the vehicle for 10K if I want it. My inital reaction was that 10k was too much, I was hoping to get it more in the 7k-9k range, but it is a nice original car.

The car is Island Teal green which is suppose to be rare. It has black interior with bucket seats and the entire interior is in very good shape. The radio, wipers, gauges and lights all work. It has a 3 speed manual on the floor with a 6 cylinder. The car is all original with 56K original miles(not documented). It was repainted once about 15 years ago. At that time 80% 1/4 panels were installed. The body and frame of the car appear to be pretty solid. There is some bubbling under the paint in a couple spots and a pretty good scratch on one of the rear quarter panels along with 1"- 2" rust spots on both of the fender extenders. He had an $1500 estimate from a body shop to repair those item which included re-painting enitre rear quarter panel and trunk lid.

The guy does have a 300 hp 327 out of a 1966 Chevelle, that he was going to put in the car, that can be included for $700. The motor has 20K on since rebuild. It looks to be a pretty nice motor and inludes everything, starter, water pump, etc..


I plan on letting my wife use the car as is for awhile and then restoring the vehicle.

Bubbling under the paint is an indication of rust eating from the inside out and you are seeing maybe 1% of it. Don't assume its minor, it could be a big problem. Paint can be hiding a major rust problem.

My opinion is this car is not worth it at 10g as I have seen quite a few cars with a little rust showing that are not as good as they appear at first glance. Its a big gamble and unless you are prepared to accept that risk you need to keep looking.

I dont know that i would dismiss it just yet. Not sure how closely you follow the first gen camaro world but...for better or worse... 10 doesnt buy you much these days when it comes to these cars. It all comes down to the condition of the body on this one. Theres really no way, at least not from what ive seen, that you can buy a first gen Camaro for 10k that doesnt need body work. Pics would be great if you could post some here.

I know what you mean about 10k not buying much when it comes to first gen camaros that is why I am struggling with this decision.

I do not have any pictures but there is no rust at all in the trunk, not even light surface rust. The floor panels appear to be pretty solid. There is some surface rust on the frame. My biggest question would be what is under the paint. The rear quarters are real solid those were replaced when it was repainted. The trunk and hood are real good. The shock towers are rust free and solid. The doors appear to be pretty solid The front fenders are the biggest concern and if there were any major suprises there I would probaly just replace them. THe inner fenders are rust free and solid.

It sounds like the foundation is pretty solid. The key (expensive) areas are the floors, trunk and quarters. Fenders are an easy replacement. 10K for a complete running car seems like a good deal to me. Add the 350 and find a 4-speed and you've got a nice car for pretty short money for this hobby. Bring 9K cash with you, or offer 10K with the motor. Who knows, you might walk away with an even better deal.

Kevin

I agree with Kevin..sounds to me like you should definitely go for it.

10K is a lot of money for a 6 banger project car. My rule of thumb for any project car is that I need to be able to part it out for what I paid for it. If you can't do that, you're going to lose money on it.

If it runs and drives its worth 10 grand,,with 6 banger the 59k miles wouldnt surprize me to be right, If i knew where it was bet i would be trying to cut a deal for it and would leave it a 6 banger too

Has anyone seen this car restore show on TV where they hunt out a muscle car to restore and take to auction to flip? Name escapez me but it follows Overhualing. Have you noticed how many of those cars on Overhauling and the other show that look real good with a little rust showing turn out to be hiding thousands of $$ in bad body work and rust?

Years ago (1987) I bought a 64 Impala that was in very good condition and has a few rust bubbles. To make a long story short, the body was very bad under the paint. Rust, bondo up to 2 in thick. Not only did this make for a lot of extra cost and work, it weaken the body which made the parts hard to fit back together. What seemed like a easy restore mushroomed into nearly $10,000 in body work.

All I am saying it, better hope for the best but expect the worst. No matter what it is. Don't be fooled by looks.

I agree that 10K doesn't buy you much these days, but since it is a complete car, its a good deal. I think the key is how much are you willing to spend to get the car the way you want it.

My inital reaction was that 10k was too much, I was hoping to get it more in the 7k-9k range, but it is a nice original car.


I just sold a 69 Camaro 6 cylinder convertible project car that was all original and #'s matching for more than even the original asking price ($11,500) of the car your looking at. My personal opinion is that First Gen convertibles are few and far between and will soon be commanding much bigger $$. I don't think you could go wrong for a complete car for $10,000 if you can get it for that.

I "stole" a running '68 Convertible 327 for about half the asking price on your car. Probably the only one priced like that in the country. If you know the condition of the car and are willing to put in whatever work is necessary to fix it, then it really depends on if it's worth it to you. I probably would've paid a lot more for the car I got because I've been looking for it for years and it's something I want to have, not to sell.

If you think 10K for a running car is too expensive, check this out:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1969-Z28-Camaro-DZ302-s-matching-Cortez-silver-X33D80_W0QQitemZ220001647695QQihZ012QQcategoryZ616 1QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Its the remains of the body, engine and trans (no axle) of a 69Z. Bids right now are at $10100.

http://i20.ebayimg.com/03/i/07/85/35/8d_1.JPG

I would look very closely at the rear inner and outer wheelhouses. 15 years ago is 1991, so the repro wheelhouses should have been available then, but... There are more than a few guys on this board with nice quarter panels installed over less than nice wheelhouses, and it isn't fun. It's one thing to make the conscious decision to do this on a car you're restoring yourself, but it's another to pay top dollar for one and then come across a major issue like this.

The first tip off on rotten wheelhouses is the absence of plastic plugs. A car with unmolested originals or properly repaired/replaced wheelhouses should have two 5/8 inch or so plugs in both the inner and outer wheelhouses in front of the wheel, and one in the outer at the back. I'd guess that at least 50% of the Camaros I have seen, including some that were bought for big money, have wheelhouse issues.

Look very closely at the floors and rocker panels, because they are a major project as well.

I agree that $10K isn't terrible, but it is probably top dollar for the car you describe. One thing that we do here for each other is try to find a local member to provide a second set of eyes, so if you want to amend your profile to add where you and the car are located, or post it, we may be able to hook you up with someone. At that price, I don't think anyone here buying it out from under you will be an issue. Now if it was a 69Z for that price....:)

10k doesnt sound that bad at all. I had my car appraised last summer and its a standard 68 coupe. It does have a 350 but it took a penalty because it wasnt the original motor in the car. Over all it was a solid car, paint has a few cracks and blemishes but it still appraised at 15,300. I heard of standard coupes totaly restored from top to bottom selling for over 20k easily.

I paid $150 for a appraiser to look at my car before I bought it. He spent about 2 hours examining the car in great detail it may be wise for you to do the same thing. I would think if its a solid as you say it appears its probably worth it.

I just looked at a '69 327 2bbl power-glide column shift bench seat all orig car. It had some over spray on the rear springs so at least the rear had been worked on. The guy wanted $10K firm, look all you want but don't bother me unless you have $10K... :p

What I saw... Oxidized red paint was so powdery it rubbed of if you touched it. Every body panel had gashes in it like the car had sideswiped something many times over. All glass was delaminating and was milky white so you could hardly see the interior through the glass. Interior was all there but in the same shape as the outside of the car. Car sat on partially flat 14's with dented hubcaps. I assume the car doesn't run since it was parked unlocked with the key in the ignition. The bonus, not much visible signs of rust, I didn't check the floor boards or trunk though...

$10K isn't a bad price for a project Camaro in todays market but for that price you can find a good deal or a real dog... For the car I saw, being all orig and all there was the only justification for the price. I think if you hosed it off with a pressure washer you wouldn't have needed to media blast the car...

I still think 10K is too high for the car described. The 6 cylinder part is a real stigma. Here are a couple of other projects for about the same $$:

http://adcache.collectorcartraderonline.com/10/6/9/84185669.htm

http://adcache.collectorcartraderonline.com/10/3/4/84532534.htm

http://adcache.collectorcartraderonline.com/10/8/5/84587885.htm

I don't know Scott. After looking at the cars in the links, the one bowtieguy is looking at might still be a better deal. Not only is it complete and running, but being a plain jane 6-cyl could even add to it's value as it probably hasn't spent the last 38 years being hacked and wailed on the way V-8's typically are. I still say go for it.

Kevin

I guess you guys are right, I looked around the web quite a bit and couldn't find many driver quality cars for less than 10K. Just a few years ago, you could find them all day long in 5K to 7K range.

I just looked at a '69 327 2bbl power-glide column shift bench seat all orig car. ...

I didn't think a bench seat was an option in 1969. I know a front bench seat was an option in 1967 and 1968 but I thought 1969 was front buckets only.

I didn't think a bench seat was an option in 1969. I know a front bench seat was an option in 1967 and 1968 but I thought 1969 was front buckets only.

I stand corrected it was a '67 not a '69...

Well...any updates?

What I see in the current market are projects and base cars bringing too much money. I remember pacecarjeff trying to sell a real nice turn key matching drivetrain 67 SS this past winter for just over 20k asking price. The car should have been sold in a week at that price but it lingered on untill the spring! I realize that we are talking twice the money here.....but for twice the money you get three times the car and its already done. I guess I dont understand the thought process of current buyers? When asked my opinion, these are some of the points I try to make.

1. For the most part, the restoration costs will be static between a base car project and a desireably optioned project car assuming both are complete. Don't underestimate the costs, they will be more than expected. However, the return on investment and continued appreciation will be relative to the market demand of the finished project. That, of course, is if it ever gets finished. Trying to recoupe restoration costs from an unfinished attempt is IMPOSSIBLE and a risky proposition at best when you travel this road.

2. "It's all I can afford", this is the worst justification I can think of for lowering your expectations from what you really want and expect in a classic investment. It amazes me how these same people will not think twice about financing the new Silverado sitting in the driveway thats been depreciating steadily since it left the sales lot and will not even consider spending any more on a classic than what they can find behind the cushions of the coach. I think it makes better economic sense to use a solid down payment and a bank note to aquire the classic that meets your expectations rather than a pay as you go plan on a project or solid base car that might end up as a boat anchor investment choice.

3. Is this the collectors model that is the best choice for your abilities and available resources? I hear many speak of the Camaro being priced out of the hands of the average hobbyist and I agree with that for the most part but its a "market" driven by the same forces as any other market and, good or bad, it can't be controlled. Many nice 60's GM models might be "more car for the money" and a better choice for some. A nice 67 Impala SS convertible or a 69 Firebird seem like great opportunities to me. Sometimes its wise to think past popular opinion or trends.

My opinions only, and we know what those are like, and yes everyone has one :) and sometimes we act like one.

68 was best year, so the price seems ok..
River

I don't think ten K is to high for the car's discription but its not deal. I just purchased a 68 #'s matching RS 327 (MA) 4 spd car I drove it home as a complete car for $9800.00 However is was stripped and sent to media blasting within 48 hours and came back neededing more than expected but I am still happy with the purchase price. Just my 2 cents!