1960 Buick Invicta Convertible

[Guest 70 Electra]

There is an interesting 1960 Invicta convertible for sale on ebay right now (item 280751906381).

Buick : Convertible | eBay

The car is described by seller using these phrases: "amazing survivor", "all original except one repaint" and "rust, there is none".

I am personally familiar with this car, having looked at it when it was for sale in Detroit a number of years ago. All I can tell you is that anyone seriously considering purchase of it, should send me a PM or email to get the lowdown.

I strongly advise against buying ANY car sight unseen, or without an experienced independent inspection.

[Guest shorttimer]

I am interested in seeing where the bidding on this one winds up. Its only about an hour from me so I may try to get out and see it in person if it doesn't meet reserve later this week.

[JohnD1956]

Wow! that car is an odd, but very attractive, color combo. I should've been born rich!

[Guest my3buicks]

I have acutally seen a few that color over the years. I like the combo.

[buick5563]

I have never liked green, and I would never have looked twice at a green interior. This car changed my mind. I'm not in the market, and like Greg said (warned) above, buyer beware. It is a well written sales pitch, but there is an obvious layer of BS. The seller doesn't have a stellar eBay rating either...

[JohnD1956]

I failed to read Greg's comments in full but I'm not buying it either. I refuse to buy another car till I complete the three I have.

[JohnO]

Everybody should inspect the car they bid on or have it inspected. I used the carsonline service and thought it was pretty good. It cost $275 which is alot less then plane tickets, car rentals, and hotels. What I did not like is that they would not give you an idea about how much filler there is in the car. Ball-park is fine, but please tell me if filler was limited to a few spots or was used on every panel throughout the whole car.

I've looked at alot of cars and most are not accurately represented.

What about this $28,000 Wildcat or better yet the $70,000 Electra that looks a little rough around the edges.

Buick | eBay

Buick : Electra | eBay

[WWS]

Agreed, buying a car sight unseen is a VERY risky venture. I bought one many years ago based upon the pictures and sellers description. What was supposed to have been a completed car spent 9 months in a body shop to fix the rust and remove the 80 lbs of bondo that was hidden below the paint.

I bought another car sight unseen from a BCA member, thinking I was safe, based upon his claims on the car and the fact that he is a member of the BCA. When it showed up at my house, it was very mis-represented.

The lure of money and a thousand miles distance makes a buyer an easy target. Spend the money to have it looked at, or ask another member who lives close to go put an eye on it and give you an unbiased report.

[lrlforfun]

OK Buick People: Several things here. The guys feedback really stinks. The car is NOT originally from So. California although he isn't making that claim. I got the feeling he was letting the prospect's imagination get away from them. Because Greg previewed this car in the Detroit area (rust city) perhaps he's absolutely correct in suggesting an in person physical inspection....which would include putting the car on the rack and really looking it over from underneath.

I know a California gentleman who purchased a car from a "reputable" classic car seller in Minnesota. Before he purchased it he invited me to play "I Spy" with him. The seller's presentation was fantastic with about 60 high resolution pictures so it was pretty easy to come up with lots of "I Spy" things. And of course, who better to play "I Spy" with than me, a world renowned expert on the 60 Buick. Basically the car looked pretty good. To add to his due diligence this person hired an independent inspection of the vehicle by a "professional" in this field. Bottom line is that the buyer felt ripped off by the seller as well as the professional inspector. After the car arrived the buyer found several problems with the car that were probably not insurmountable but did reflect a much higher justified price.

In 30 years of selling cars especially wholesaling cars I found it extremely difficult to describe rough cars. Not to say this car was especially rough but saying that a 50 year old car does have a time as well as mileage history behind it.

Did I forget to mention that I own the exact twin to this including equipment? My car isn't so happy though. Mitch

[Guest 70 Electra]

Well, it looks like it "sold" for $16,000. We'll see if the transaction holds or if the buyer backs out.

I've received enough inquires that I'll go ahead and post a brief version of the story I have on this vehicle:

<O:p</O:p

I first saw it 9yrs ago in a Detroit suburb, where it was advertised for sale. The seller claimed he'd bought it from the second owner who'd had it for 27yrs. The car was bought new at a dealership on Livernois in Detroit. (Those of you from this area will remember that Livernois, in Detroit, was once filled with many many car dealerships).

The car had been repainted in the original color, which could not cover up the fact that the entire lower section of the car (doors, fenders, quarters) was "sculpted" from bondo. It was a poor job, with a lot of swelling and blistering. This makes me wonder if maybe some it has been redone since then?

</O:p

The interior was original, as was the green top (with green inner top and green bows!). The mileage seemed plausibly original at 41,700--- about 1,200 less than what is advertised today.

My opinion was that it was a fascinating car for sure, but too rough to leave it unrestored, and too far gone to be worth restoring. The car was eventually sold to a local (Michigan) man, who later moved to California and took the car with him.

Some of you may have seen the car at the 2003 BCA Nationals in Flint, where it was briefly on display.

<O:p</O:p

It is unclear what, if anything, has been done to it in the past 9 yrs. Certainly it's been cleaned up and detailed. The body work may have been redone or upgraded, but I notice the current seller is claiming "only one repaint" which suggests no bodywork has been done. Of course that same seller also claims "no rust" and that it is 2-owner car (but remember the seller I met 9yrs ago stated he was the THIRD owner, and there have been two more owners since them--the guy that bought it in Michigan and the current seller.)

We’ll see if the transaction holds. This (current) ebay seller has his share of complaints, primarily about accuracy of description. I sent him a note about my observations on this car and suggested he use caution in stating it had “no rust”. He politely thanked me and stated in his reply: “

I knew it had some bondo repair work but never saw any current rust. I will fill the person in who buys it on the bondo situation. At that point they can make a decision weather they want it or not.”

As far as the color, Mitch is right--it's pretty unusual. In my 10+ years of collecting data on surviving 1960 Buicks, I accounted for over 1,100 cars. Of these, I've recorded sixty different 1960 Buick Invicta convertibles. Of these 60 Invicta convertibles, only 4 are Casino Cream. Of those 4, one is currently painted green, thus hiding its heritage. It is now located in Washington state. One of the other 3 cars is a very nice original, located in Ohio. The remaining two are this ebay car (currently in Calif) and Mitch's car (Calif). Note that the car in Washington state was built in Atlanta plant, but the other 3 were built in Flint. <O:p