Guest 1970wildcat455 Posted June 12, 2013 Share Posted June 12, 2013 Hello guys and gal's. I'm new here and have a few questions. Sorry if this is in the wrong section. Anyways, a bit about me. I live in Kansas, and LOVE american made cars, especially ones from the 70's on back to the first cars. I am a muscle car fanaitc, and drool over there pictures everytime I see one. My friends usually don't listen to me much, because my main topic of disscussion is cars, lol. But anyways, I'm only 18, I will be 19 in july. I will be going to Pittsburg State University this fall for Automotive Engineering. Anyhow, I recently found a 1970 Buick Wildcat 455 turbo 400 for sale near me. It was originally a Colorado car, then went to Arizona. The guy who owns it now bought it from arizona about a year ago and has stored it since. He said the motor has been rebuilt, but is unsure of how many miles are on the rebuild. He said he can check and see. The cool thing about this car, is that it is an original bucket seat car. From what I've read, the bucket seat cars are pretty rare. His reason for selling is that he has too many projects. He as a 69 GS 350, a 1970 GS 455, and is picking up a 68 California GS in a month. So he wants this wildcat gone. Its in primer right now, and he said the PO had some body work done to it. Its a Non A/C car, manual everything. He also said the body is pretty straight, just a dent on the front quarter panel. From the picture he has posted, the interior looks to be in REALLY good condition. The dash has a crack, but he has a dash to replace it. All the glass is good, and the car comes with my all time favorite rims; rally wheels. Everything is stock, as far as the guy knows. So my question is what do you all think this car is worth? I think what he's asking is pretty reasonable, but just wanted to get some opinions. My absolute dream car is a 1970 Buick GSX stage 2 (good luck finding one, i know lol) with a 4 speed, but I've always like the wildcats aswell, so why not? He said he would not hesitate to drive this car for hours on the highway. He said his only concern would be some possible electrical issues, like lights ect.. He had a friend pick it up in Arizona and drove it an hour to his friends house. It was a hot day, and he had no problems. Now I know its all just hear say, but if he isn't BS'ing me, what do you think its worth? I'll post the pictures he has of it as soon as I figure out how. Any info/hints/responses are much appreciated! Thanks guys! P.S. how do you post pictures? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketraider Posted June 12, 2013 Share Posted June 12, 2013 (edited) Young friend, if things pan out for you to get this Wildcat, you have scored yourself one hell of a car! Value, I'm not sure, but these cars haven't taken off like similar year Rivieras so you should still be able to get it for reasonable money.The thing to watch out for with a Wildcat (like its brothers the Oldsmobile Starfire and Pontiac Grand Prix) is the special trim pieces such as the gills behind the front wheels. They'll be tough to find if damaged or missing and NOS or good used western chrome is your only option. A Colorado/Arizona car should have good brightwork though.Keep in mind Stage 2 was a dealer-installed package on top of Stage 1 and may be tough to document unless the car has a lot of provenance.I think you'll find your full-size hot-rod Burick will be enough of a blast to drive that you may not even need the GSX! Edited June 12, 2013 by rocketraider (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest my3buicks Posted June 12, 2013 Share Posted June 12, 2013 The 70 Wildcats are a great potential collector car - it was the last year for the Wildcat and the first year for the 455 - the bucket seats make it even better - you didn't say what model it was. The Wildcats are starting to take off to some degree, a car with lots of options is desirable and of course color plays a key role in it as well. Sounds like it would make a great car for you. As far as value, we really need to know more such as the model, and pictures are worth a thousand words. Keep us posted and visit us on down the page in the Buick section of the forums. We are friendlier there ( just kidding). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lebowski Posted June 12, 2013 Share Posted June 12, 2013 Where are you located? How far are you from the car? It has "manual everything" including no power steering? That should be interesting. What does the guy want for it? Post some pics of it when you can and good luck.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1970wildcat455 Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 Young friend, if things pan out for you to get this Wildcat, you have scored yourself one hell of a car! Value, I'm not sure, but these cars haven't taken off like similar year Rivieras so you should still be able to get it for reasonable money.The thing to watch out for with a Wildcat (like its brothers the Oldsmobile Starfire and Pontiac Grand Prix) is the special trim pieces such as the gills behind the front wheels. They'll be tough to find if damaged or missing and NOS or good used western chrome is your only option. A Colorado/Arizona car should have good brightwork though.Keep in mind Stage 2 was a dealer-installed package on top of Stage 1 and may be tough to document unless the car has a lot of provenance.I think you'll find your full-size hot-rod Burick will be enough of a blast to drive that you may not even need the GSX!Thanks for the reply! From the picture I have of it, some of the trim looks to be intact, the trim that isn't on the car will come with the car. The little grill trim pieces you mentioned that are behind the front wheels looks like its there on the drivers side. There is no picture of the passenger so not sure there. And I know that the Stage 2 option was a dealer package, thats why I said good luck finding one, haha. But yeah, this Wildcat will definitely be a blast, but I still need a GSX LOL. That has always been my dream car. And whats wrong with having a 455 wildcat AND 455 GSX??? Nothing! lol. Well, other than gas maybe haha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1970wildcat455 Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 I'm unsure how to find out what model it is. It is a 2 door car, with a vinyl top. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1970wildcat455 Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 Where are you located? How far are you from the car? It has "manual everything" including no power steering? That should be interesting. What does the guy want for it? Post some pics of it when you can and good luck....I'm in Kansas. I'm about an hour from the car. The only power options the car has is PS and PB. window, locks, ect. are all manual. No A/C Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1970wildcat455 Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1970wildcat455 Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 Keep us posted and visit us on down the page in the Buick section of the forums. We are friendlier there ( just kidding).Is there a way to move this thread to the buick section? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketraider Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 I'm in Kansas. I'm about an hour from the car. The only power options the car has is PS and PB. window, locks, ect. are all manual. No A/CThat's reasonable distance to go inspect it in person. Do not, repeat, do not take a trailer or a buddy to drive your vehicle back the first time you go look.That's actually the way the vast majority of cars were equipped back in those days- even Buicks. Fully loaded cars were the exception in most areas as many people were leery of the initial expense and the perceived trouble down the road.Any idea what the original color code is? You can get away with about any color with black insides, but if that kittycat is a good color, that's a killer ride.Keith- we're friendly up here too as long as you don't have your ball cap on backwards or break out of line in a tour. But I'm one who believes rules are meant to be challenged and broken if necessary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest my3buicks Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 I disagree Glenn (rocketrader) - a vast majority of Wildcats would be much better equipped than this and the lack of options is a detriment to this car. Wildcats were usually fairly decked out, although there are the exceptions as we see here. The interior is in surprising nice condition. By the late 60's early 70's a/c and a fair load of toys were pretty common in the upper series Buick's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1970wildcat455 Posted June 14, 2013 Share Posted June 14, 2013 That's reasonable distance to go inspect it in person. Do not, repeat, do not take a trailer or a buddy to drive your vehicle back the first time you go look.Any idea what the original color code is? You can get away with about any color with black insides, but if that kittycat is a good color, that's a killer ride..Yeah, it really isn't that far away. The guy sounds pretty nice over the phone. I told him I'm going up to look at it this saturday, and he said he'll have it pulled out of storage and all the paperwork ready and all that jazz, but I told him that this visit is strictly just to check it out. I told him I am very interested, but I'm taking my time and one step at a time. He said there's no rush. There isn't anyone else seriously looking at it, so I may have this cat in the bag. My dads going up with me to look as well. I'm going to take a good camera and take a lot of pictures, and I'll post them, or at least pictures of the biggest concerns of the car, such as cancer spots, missing trim, ect. I'll get the VIN so i can find out what the original color was. I do know that it had a black vinyl top, and the guy has some NOS vinyl for it to redo the top. I do like the black interior A LOT. I'm hoping the car was a dark blue, cause that would look SWEET! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1970wildcat455 Posted June 14, 2013 Share Posted June 14, 2013 (edited) Wildcats were usually fairly decked out, although there are the exceptions as we see here. The interior is in surprising nice condition. By the late 60's early 70's a/c and a fair load of toys were pretty common in the upper series Buick's.I know that generally the more options that are on a classic car, the better, but I like the fact that this car is pretty well striped to the basic's. I mean, its like whoever bought it new had a more performance train of thought. Less options less weight, as well as power sucking things such as A/C. Although A/C would be nice. I can live without it though. You know, thats what I thought when i first saw the picture of the interior. I was expecting it to be pretty ripped up/cracked, but from the picture it really doesn't look bad at all. Its not the best picture around, but it ain't bad. He said the interior is good. The dash has a crack, but he's got one to replace it. And you can see a crack in the steering wheel at the top, but not a big deal. I talked to him again on the phone and he said that he parted out another 1970 wildcat, and has a bunch of extra chrome/trim and other parts, all of which will go with the car. He said he's got a lot of duplicate pieces as well. I may get lucky and get 2 front emblems, and an extra trim vent thats behind the front wheels. When I go check it out, I'll make a mental note of the extra goodies, or take a picture.I'm slobbering over the pictures of it. I can't wait until Saturday!!! Hopefully its as good as it sounds, and hopefully i can get rid of the project/toy I currently have so I can get this Cat. His price is a few $100 higher than I want to pay, but it may be worth it since its bucket seats? But its pretty stripped of options. And he is a Buick guy, and knows its a rare combination. Hopefully he wants it gone enough to work on the price... We'll see. I'll keep ya'll posted.Anyone want to give an estimate of what you'd be willing to pay, given the imfo I've provided as well as the pictures? Thanks! Edited June 14, 2013 by 1970wildcat455 (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest my3buicks Posted June 14, 2013 Share Posted June 14, 2013 What's he asking instead of playing the game of what's it worth? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketraider Posted June 14, 2013 Share Posted June 14, 2013 Cat, you can't get the color code from the VIN. You need to look on the body data plate underhood. It will ID the year and body style, the original colors, the interior trim, any options installed at the Fisher Body plant, and the month and week it was built.I'm looking forward to you getting this car as much as you are! Bryan Moran (BJM on the forums) scored a buckets/console 70 Wildcat a while back for $700, so there are still deals out there.Keith, I guess I was thinking more how cars were equipped here back then. Electras, Ninety Eights etc were usually pretty well equipped, but even a lot of those were low-option cars by today's standards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1970wildcat455 Posted June 15, 2013 Share Posted June 15, 2013 I don't mean to 'play the whats it worth game' , I just want to be careful with the info I give out, because I don't want to give someone else a hint about it, and then have them steal it right out of under me. I mean, I could tell you what he's asking, and someone could tell me that he's asking waaay too much, then they'd turn around and get it real quick for the asking price because it really isn't too much... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1970wildcat455 Posted June 15, 2013 Share Posted June 15, 2013 Ok, thanks. I'll be sure to take a picture of the body data plate. Is it near or on top of the top radiator bracket? Or in that near vicinity? Yeah! I saw BJM's thread when I was researching before I even joined this forum. I was really wanting to know what he payed for his, to give me an idea of what a pretty rough car would go for. From BJM's pictures, his doesn't look to be in near as good condition as the one I'm looking at. (Not to bash his car at all, I love seeing someone save a car like that, even if it isn't rare, or sporty) If he payed $700 for his, I think this guy is pretty close. But, until I actually look at it, (TOMORROW!) I won't be sure exactly what I'm willing to pay for it. I'm hopping that the body doesn't have much rust. Being that it was in Arizona for many years, I'm betting that it isn't bad. But I'm dreading looking at the side that isn't pictured for fear of a huge fender dent, or a door barely hanging on. Soon, we will all know many of the answers to my questions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest my3buicks Posted June 15, 2013 Share Posted June 15, 2013 Well then, let us know if you pay to much for it then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1970wildcat455 Posted June 15, 2013 Share Posted June 15, 2013 OK OK. He's asking $2500. I'd be more comfortable paying $2000. Keep in mind it does come with quite a few extra parts/trim from a parts car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest my3buicks Posted June 15, 2013 Share Posted June 15, 2013 If it's solid with no surprises and the interior is as decent as it appears and all the trim is there and decent, you would do well at $2K Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketraider Posted June 15, 2013 Share Posted June 15, 2013 Data plate will be on the firewall close to the brake booster and wiper motor, or on the left cowl close to the wiper arm. You'll recognize it by PNT TR TIME codes stamped into it. Those plates tell a lot about a car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BJM Posted June 15, 2013 Share Posted June 15, 2013 $2000 is a good price. Seller is a nice guy, I purchased some parts off of him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1970wildcat455 Posted June 16, 2013 Share Posted June 16, 2013 You know this guy? Did you happen to buy the A/C off his parts car? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1970wildcat455 Posted June 16, 2013 Share Posted June 16, 2013 Well, there's good news and bad news. Bad new's is I forgot to bring a camera, sooo I have no pictures... I guess the good news is it didn't rain while we were looking at it... Well as usual, there were some surprises on the car. It's worse than I thought it would be, cosmetically. It needs a lot of body work. A lot... The interior is fantastic though! The front seats feel awesome, no cracks or anything. Dash is ok, could be better, but could be A LOT worse. The rear windshield needs to be installed. I've never installed a window before, but my dad has. It shouldn't be a big deal. The car doesn't have much rust at all. From what I saw, there is no place on the car that has rusted through. It all looks to be just surface, and there really isn't much of that anywhere on the body. Mostly just underneath, which is again, no big deal. I'd expect that in the least. It is definitely a project. I was hoping it could be something I could drive daily for a while, but its just not to that point yet. Mechanically, the car seems to be tight. Drove it a bit around a small lot, and it felt pretty good. Couldn't really get up to speed though, so it didn't really tell me a whole lot. It starts really easy, didn't hear any squeaks, clunks or bangs. Power steering felt good, and didn't make much noise at all. Brakes felt awesome. It'd be the perfect project, but I just don't feel comfortable paying $2500, or even $2000 for it. I'm not a cheap penny pincher, but it just needs a lot of work. A lot. I don't want to low ball him. He really doesn't car about the car though. He told me that flat out. He's got to give up the spot in the shed he's storing it in in a month, and told me he could care less if it sat outside and rusted to death. So maybe I could talk him down since he doesn't really care about it. And yeah, its a bucket seat car, but thats about all thats different about it. It doesn't have many options at all. PS and PB is it. its a stripped down, basic car. I'm going to think about it, and get my other project car situation figured out, and then decide. Hopefully within the month. Any thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest my3buicks Posted June 16, 2013 Share Posted June 16, 2013 It's not sounding like it lit your fire, if a car doesn't light your fire then pass Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketraider Posted June 16, 2013 Share Posted June 16, 2013 :cool:Now let's see if our young Wildcatter picks up on that reference...Cat, if it's more than you feel you can handle right now might as well pass, but if he's just gonna let it sit out and rot, do not be afraid to low-ball him in an attempt to save it. You'd be surprised at what cash can say. Offer him about twice current scrap value and see if he bites.Keep in mind that as a full-size performance car, less options means less weight. And less weight means better horsepower-to-weight ratio. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1970wildcat455 Posted June 17, 2013 Share Posted June 17, 2013 (edited) It's not sounding like it lit your fire, if a car doesn't light your fire then passWhoa there! Don't take me wrong, I NEED this car! lol. It lit my fire for sure. And yes, I may be young, but not the run of the mill 'clueless kid'. Not claiming to know everything either, by any means. This is what first came to mind when I read that. I have this as my background on my media player Edited June 17, 2013 by 1970wildcat455 (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1970wildcat455 Posted June 17, 2013 Share Posted June 17, 2013 :cool:Now let's see if our young Wildcatter picks up on that reference...Cat, if it's more than you feel you can handle right now might as well pass, but if he's just gonna let it sit out and rot, do not be afraid to low-ball him in an attempt to save it. You'd be surprised at what cash can say. Offer him about twice current scrap value and see if he bites.Keep in mind that as a full-size performance car, less options means less weight. And less weight means better horsepower-to-weight ratio.In a way it is more than I can handle. But, if I bought it now, I will have it now, and can tinker on it and restore it someday. Not to mention I'd be the coolest kid on the block. And the fact he cares less if it rots makes me want it much more. I want to save it SOOO bad. It needs a lot of work, but not so much that its not worth rescuing. I'll give it a bit of time, see what antique insurance will cost me, that sort of stuff, and then take another trip up there soon with cash in hand and make an offer. I completely agree with your power-to-weight ratio comment. But that wasn't what I meant. When I said it was stripped down, I was meaning that it makes the car a little less valuable, which may allow me to low-ball him and get away with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1970wildcat455 Posted June 17, 2013 Share Posted June 17, 2013 In my humble opinion, IF you like the car, then you are setting yourself up for a big fall on this. I'll bet everyone on this forum has done this 100 times - trying to score for the very least amount of money you can. Meanwhile someone is going to steel it right from under you. Don't lose it for a $500 bill or something close. Antique car insurance is the cheapest insurance on the market - usually $100 a year and even then you don't need it right away if you're just going to tinker with it. You know your funds better than any of us, but it sounds like an excellent deal even at $2500. I'd go there right away with $1700 cash in hand and buy it if you want it. Have the balance in your other pocket! I agree with you. I'm afraid of loosing it, but he hasn't had any interest in it besides me. And he's posted it 3 times. I know antique insurance is dirt cheap, my dad has it on his '59 invicta, but I'm afraid it maybe higher for me because I'm 18. I've thought about not insuring it for a while, but if you do that, you can't drive it while working on it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD1956 Posted June 17, 2013 Share Posted June 17, 2013 Antique insurance is not really for just driving it around either. If you need a daily driver then you have to step back, make a list of what you saw that needs attention, and then put a price to each of those things BEFORE you become emotionally involved in this, or any , car. Once you figure that cost, double it. Then research what this car is selling for on e bay, and subtract your cost from that value. Then go and make an offer that brings you close to what the car will sell for finished. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest my3buicks Posted June 17, 2013 Share Posted June 17, 2013 Honestly from what you described you described a $1500 car, I think you would be throwing a grand away paying $2500 for it. It's one step above a parts car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BJM Posted June 17, 2013 Share Posted June 17, 2013 No I was not interested in his a/c, I just purchased his power window set up. My car is loaded except it has no power windows. The low option/high option argument doesn't matter to me personally. I prefer manual windows all day long for less headache in restoration and maintenance. I have modern cars for comfort and commuting. For buying old, I look for the styling of the car. I am not sure what your comments mean, personally. You state it's rust free but "needs a lot." That implies dents? Not sure what "a lot " means. $2000-$2500 won't buy a lot of GS Skylark. Interior soft trim is expensive to restore on these cars so I would be way ahead buying it for $2000 for the interior and then parting it out. I think the seller picked up that you weren't going to purchase that day and got discouraged so said "he doesn't care" if it sits out or not. As to the concept that someone else might come along and buy it, I would say OK, there are millions of project cars out there now, few people are doing full garage clearing projects anymore. Price? All he can say is no, so offer $1500. But honestly with the back and forth on your comments, it sounds like you are not that interested in THIS car, this model. If you want a GS or Chevelle SS or whatever, then get one of those. This particular car is NOT a $2000-$2500 car in my opinion. But I think Keith is correct, $1500 is fair, given you won't need to spend $1500 on soft trim interior restoration and the body has no rust. Front clip dents? If that's what it has, then consider replacement. My hood is so badly dented I bought a good used one for $150. It's mint and saved me $1000 in dent removal on the hood that came with my car. I have lower rust in my front fenders and some dents in the back quarter. My pans and doors are OK. I paid $700 because I offered it to the seller take it or leave it because I paid $900 to get it transported to me in Iowa from Montana. That's the crux for me. I essentially paid $1600 for it. My build sheet was under the rear seat cushion and shows an almost perfectly optioned zone car, power trunk release, tilt, cruise, you name it except power windows and power drivers seat. My left arm and hand still works so I have no issue sliding my butt back and forth, ditto on the windows. I bought the power door panels because they were white vinyl more then anything. Wildcat custom trim level buckets and console only came in black so I had visions of switching to white - which in my opinion would have been very "1970 muscle" in look. I would offer $1500 and see if he takes it. Having a running and driving car is a good place to start Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BJM Posted June 17, 2013 Share Posted June 17, 2013 Wildcat bucket seat console cars are 1 of 1026 produced in 1970. All were black interior. But they aren't collectible or desirable. Fully sorted, well restored cars are offered for $15,000 to $18,000 but get no takers. This is not a car to buy for future price increase. In fact, that's never a good reason to buy a car to restore and enjoy the hobby. I like them, so I bought mine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harold Posted June 17, 2013 Share Posted June 17, 2013 Did I read correctly that the rear window is out of the car but included? If so, I'd take a careful look at the window mounting flange to check for rust, especially if this car had a vinyl roof. Those repairs can be difficult and expensive, which may be the reason the seller wants out of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BJM Posted June 17, 2013 Share Posted June 17, 2013 A majority of 1970 Wildcats came with vinyl roof. I have seen only one buckets/console that did not have a vinyl roof. I didn't mean to say that Wildcats aren't collectible or desirable in a sense that some of us don't like them, we do - but in the grand scheme of things, in the supply and demand world of the collector car hobby, they are low on the totem pole. One doesn't buy one to anticipate a 5-10% return on investment when done. A purchaser of a non normal car buys them for the grin factor, which is why 99% of us buy and enjoy them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1970wildcat455 Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 (edited) Honestly from what you described you described a $1500 car, I think you would be throwing a grand away paying $2500 for it. It's one step above a parts car.I was going to offer $1000 and see what he says. I don't know, its kinda in the condition where you could part it out, but you'd better have a really good reason, IMHO. I'd hate to part it out. It needs quite a bit of work, but not so much its not worth doing, if you get what I mean. Edited June 18, 2013 by 1970wildcat455 (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1970wildcat455 Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 No I was not interested in his a/c, I just purchased his power window set up. My car is loaded except it has no power windows. The low option/high option argument doesn't matter to me personally. I prefer manual windows all day long for less headache in restoration and maintenance. I have modern cars for comfort and commuting. For buying old, I look for the styling of the car. I am not sure what your comments mean, personally. You state it's rust free but "needs a lot." That implies dents? Not sure what "a lot " means. $2000-$2500 won't buy a lot of GS Skylark. Interior soft trim is expensive to restore on these cars so I would be way ahead buying it for $2000 for the interior and then parting it out. I think the seller picked up that you weren't going to purchase that day and got discouraged so said "he doesn't care" if it sits out or not. As to the concept that someone else might come along and buy it, I would say OK, there are millions of project cars out there now, few people are doing full garage clearing projects anymore. Price? All he can say is no, so offer $1500. But honestly with the back and forth on your comments, it sounds like you are not that interested in THIS car, this model. If you want a GS or Chevelle SS or whatever, then get one of those. This particular car is NOT a $2000-$2500 car in my opinion. But I think Keith is correct, $1500 is fair, given you won't need to spend $1500 on soft trim interior restoration and the body has no rust. Front clip dents? If that's what it has, then consider replacement. My hood is so badly dented I bought a good used one for $150. It's mint and saved me $1000 in dent removal on the hood that came with my car. I have lower rust in my front fenders and some dents in the back quarter. My pans and doors are OK. I paid $700 because I offered it to the seller take it or leave it because I paid $900 to get it transported to me in Iowa from Montana. That's the crux for me. I essentially paid $1600 for it. My build sheet was under the rear seat cushion and shows an almost perfectly optioned zone car, power trunk release, tilt, cruise, you name it except power windows and power drivers seat. My left arm and hand still works so I have no issue sliding my butt back and forth, ditto on the windows. I bought the power door panels because they were white vinyl more then anything. Wildcat custom trim level buckets and console only came in black so I had visions of switching to white - which in my opinion would have been very "1970 muscle" in look. I would offer $1500 and see if he takes it. Having a running and driving car is a good place to startI agree. I'm not getting this car for creature comforts. I, like you, prefer manual windows and so on because of simplicity. I would rather have a stripped car, because the value really doesn't mean much to me. All I'm saying is that since this car doesn't have many options, I may be able to negotiate a lower price because usually higher optioned cars go for a bit more. And I would be buying this car for the styling. Its a beautiful looking car. I really like the 1970 style a lot, and even more with the rally wheels, or whatever their called. I've read them being called many different things. When I said it needs a lot, I meant that it needs quite a bit of body work. It is not completely rust free. There is rust, it's just not to the point where quarters would need replaced. It all looked to be surface rust. Now I didn't get to spend a whole lot of time looking it over, due to weather conditions and a time crunch, but what I did see, the rust seemed to be minimal. Now, there may have been spots where there was bad rust, because the car has clearly had SOME body work done. My dad has done some body work, and has had lots of it professionally done for his cars, and told me that it looked like it was poorly done and should be redone. There are some dents, one pretty big one in the drivers front fender. And paint, it needs paint, which is costly. It is in primer right now. I have a friend who can give it a 50ft paint job for a few $100, so I could do that just to add another layer of protection until money allows me to do it right. I am interested in THIS car, and THIS model. I love the 455, I love the black bucket seats/interior, I love the 1970 body style, LOVE IT, and I love classics, and have been looking for a project car. This is defiantly a project, which is OK with me. Really, my only concern was paying too much, only because I will be going to college soon and can't afford to spend $2500 on this car, plus repairs on my current driver. Basically, I understand that this is a project, I understand it will cost quite a bit to restore, and I understand that I don't have the money right now to work on it a whole lot, but I would really like to have this car, so that when I do get the money, I will have cool classic to restore. I don't buy cars just to flip them, I buy them to enjoy them, and preserve them as well as a bit of muscle history. And if whatever I buy happens to gain value, so be it. That doesn't mean I will like it any more or any less. It's not about money. And I really shouldn't have to do much mechanical work to it, which is a big plus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1970wildcat455 Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 Did I read correctly that the rear window is out of the car but included? If so, I'd take a careful look at the window mounting flange to check for rust, especially if this car had a vinyl roof. Those repairs can be difficult and expensive, which may be the reason the seller wants out of it.Yes window is out but included. When I go check it out again, I will pay closer attention to this. If I remember correctly, the flange was were the worst of the rust was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketraider Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 One of you Buick guys refresh my memory- did the 69-70 Wildcat use the same frenched rear window as the 69-70 Olds Delta Royale? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BJM Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 Glenn not sure what frenched means except inset and not flush. I believe it's the same. A lot of people that see my car think it's a Monte Carlo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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