JamesR

I agree. While some cars and pickup trucks might be acceptable as survivors in this condition, the styling of this particular '61 Buick is just too cool and dramatic to not be restored to its original glory (in my opinion.) It's "survivor" condition suggests that it needs nothing...maybe to justify a higher price.

Very true, Marty. However, It tends to be hot for shorter periods of time. Many in the (way) upper Midwest seem to prefer suffering to "spending money unnecessarily." 😄

Years ago, I saw one of these Datsuns for sale at a used lot across the street from my business. In similar condition, as I recall. I loved the looks of it, but was only interested in American or British at the time. I now regret not paying more attention to it.

It would be interesting to find out where this car was sold originally. If it was some place like Duluth or Bismarck, that could explain the lack of A/C.

La Dolce Vita!

I really love this car! I prefer the '64 Imperial to every other luxury car of that year, even though they are quite attractive, too. Being in coupe form makes it even more appealing. The only bad thing about black paint is that it highlights flaws and retains heat...other than that it's very attractive when in good shape. Looks great on this car. This Imperial seems like a good illustration of why it's better to find a reasonably priced vehicle in nice condition than to buy a project in need of work. Most projects couldn't be turned into something this nice with a total investment of $15k. But as 69merc said, you should verify the car is what it appears to be before buying.

This reminds me of what happened to me when I was in my 20's. I had a cool and quick '71 Nova 2 door that I parked at a gas station ( right by the pump) to get gas. This was back in the late '70's with no pay at the pump. I walked in to the office to pay. The area where I was parked was flat, so leaving the car in gear or setting the ebrake after shutting the engine off wasn't necessary...right?? Unfortunately, the areas immediately surrounding the place I was parked were NOT flat. I came back out of the office and said, "Who stole my car?" because it was no longer there. Someone said, "Oh, it rolled down across the street." The tone in their voice was sort of like they weren't going to mention that fact to anyone unless asked. My Chevy ended up in a narrow ravine across the street with the front bumper resting on one side of the ravine and the rear bumper resting on the other side...so that all wheels were off the ground! No wrecks or big dents, though. Getting it out of the ravine was a challenge. The Nova still ran and drove, but I got rid of it not long after that.

Were you able to check alignment before they were installed? If they were aligned before installation, my guess is here is some sort of irregularity on the mating surface between the dist. plate and the bottom of the new points. If not aligned there is some manufacturer's flaw in the new points. As others have said...not s'posed to be like that. Like you, I also long for the old dist. access hatch (on my old Chevies. I have old Fords now.) Don't go with electronic ignition. Points will work fine, but the quality of new parts for old cars is sometimes atrocious.

I like the Ford! Without overdrive it won't be much of a highway car, though. Looks like a fun way to get the the ice cream parlor. Pretty solid.

Nice looking woody, and I do like the three row seating in these things. Do the seat backs of the two rearward seats fold forward? Or do you have to take the whole seat out to get hauling space in the back?

Looks solid. And affordable! I bet that would be a very fun car to ride/drive around in. Some of the pics are not coming up for me. Were Chevies inline six's in 1925? I know they had I-6 engines before Ford did.

Iconic car for obvious reasons, but you can see the downside of owning such iconic attractive cars: the price. $30k could buy some other nice looking old cars in pretty good condition. If this car is solid, though, the buyer will probably come out alright, if he puts the effort and money into it. I still want one...I would just rather have $30k even more.

Something tells me that someone was VERY proud of those wheels after applying the spray paint. 😃 It is a good deal, though. Old trucks can get crazy expensive, even in well-used shape.

Some people people hose down cars before the photos, and others don't even bother to remove the bird droppings! 😀 As far as the color, I kind of like the "battleship gray" on many early '50's cars. I've noticed that most women really dislike that color, though.

I agree that the price would need to come down, but if it's original-ish and as operational as the seller says it is, it could be a fun survivor in the early '60's compact vein. The super-mini V-8 could be kind of unique...straight six performance but with a v-8 sound. Headliner should be affordable, but windshield might be harder/pricier to get.

I like it. If there's a red flag in the ad, it's the word "project." That might just mean the floor boards he mentioned and some brake work, etc, or something more serious, but the ad makes the car appear very promising for that price. If it is what it seems be, there's a good chance that this is a great deal. Four door sedans put cool old cars within financial reach for many of us.

Condition looks good and these flat head powered faux woody wagons are very desirable. I'm wondering how original that tri-tone paint scheme is. It makes the exterior look a little busier than it needs to be. Can't find any other examples like this, but that doesn't mean anything. If it turns out to not be original, I'd think that it would be easily and fairly inexpensively fixed by painting the top black. Since the roof isn't adjacent to other black body panels, getting an exact color match would be less critical.

I agree with you that it is very neat looking. I also had never seen one, but my eye was immediately drawn to its styling. The color is a big part of the appeal, too, I'd say. Certainly doesn't deserve to be categorized as "ugly", but I understand that's just the name of the FB group. Thanks for posting this.

It's nice to see presentable looking Corvairs at the low prices they were bringing several years ago. One of the best vintage car deals back then and it seems there are a few owners who are still willing to part with them at those prices. Won't last long.

I have a '65 Thunderbird Landau that is in the same general visual condition of the OP's car. I'd say that 63RedBrier's price guidelines and recommendations are pretty much on the money. I bought my car in 2018 for $2500 along with two guns as a partial trade, and it was a car that started, drove and stopped. In fact I was able to drive it more or less safely at 65 MPH on the highway before I bought it. Engine strong. (It also had a good title.) I think of fourth generation T-Birds (which is what the OP has) as one of the last affordable cars from the sixties that is stylish, iconic and powerful. That's why I bought mine. Because they're so affordable, however, they aren't very popular at all as restoration or refurbishment projects, since examples in nice condition can be had for $15,000+, which is way below the total investment in a resto project. The OP's car is a project car. (As someone else mentioned, convertibles are a different story...more desirable with a higher value.) Good luck.

I really like this generation of Charger, but so many of them are adorned with aftermarket wheels/tires/suspension stuff that give them an awkward stance. This car is kind of like that. Fortunately it doesn't look too modified. I think these '71-3 Chargers would look better sitting a bit lower instead of higher. Still looks like a good deal, though, and seems solid. Thanks for posting.

These cars look great in black! The step down Hudson is yet another wonderful car that I love yet will probably never own.

Thanks for posting, 58L-Y8. Love the car. I'm with GHE on red - but this Thunderbird is stylish enough to make that color work. Besides, it seems to have so many other things going for it: No rust, California origins, rebuilt engine and tranny, good interior, good price. It pains me to sell my, '65 Landau project, but I need the space. Had I spent more on a non-project car like this '62, I'd probably never let it go.

The bonded title process mentioned above is the only realistic way I know of to get a non-titled car titled, at least where I'm at. There is some risk involved, though, and as I recall there's a fair bit of time that has to elapse before legitimate ownership is certified. Less stringent states might have a wider range of options. Bonded tiles should be viewed as a viable option only if you've already purchased the vehicle, i.e., as a last resort. Don't knowingly buy an untitled car thinking you'll get a title through the bonding process. If you've already bought the car, this can be a learning lesson for you going forward.

Interior question for AMC people: Was it Nash that had the fully reclining front passenger seat in the 1950's? Is the collapsed seat back in this Rambler a later version of that option? Or is it just a broken seat?