Keep It or Junk It

[Guest Little_Lexis]

I have an '83 Riv that was left to me by Grandpa when he passed away last year. I'm not exactly sure what condition it's in because its in Florida and I'm in Chicago. I was told by my uncle (whos kinda shady) that it doesn't run but he can't (or won't) tell me what's wrong with it. I know the interior and top are shot but I know that can be fixed by my boyfriend. My uncle told me I'm better off selling it to him for $50. My question is am I better of selling it, junking it, or fixing it up? Is it hard to come by parts for it? Are parts expensive? I can't get myself in to deep because I'm only 19 with a 3 month old baby. I'd love to keep it for sentimental reasons but if its to big of a finical risk I can't do it.

[60FlatTop]

A 30 year old car gets you in deep. And most cars scrap out from $200 to $300. Sentimental reasons are the worst reason to keep a car. My Dad died in 1978 leaving a 1960 T-Bird I talked him into buying as a retirement project. I sold the car and bought a real nice floor jack with the money. I couldn't do less for the guy who harped about jacking cars up and getting under them since I was 11.

Get at least a couple hundred for the car. If you don't need a jack buy some local utility stock and automatically reinvest the dividends.

Bernie

[RivNut]

When you say the top needs to be fixed, are you talking about a convertible top? If it is a convertible, it's worth buying for $50 and parting out the unique convertible parts. Just as you may have things that are in good shape for someone else's car, yours may be missing some unique parts that would be nearly impossible to find. Convertibles were coupes that had the tops cut off and a custom top was made along with a bunch of other stuff. Not worth shipping to Chicago just to find out what's wrong with it.

If it's a coupe, you can find one that runs closer to home for less than you'd have to pay to have the one in FL shipped to you.

Ed

[JZRIV]

Welcome to the forum. You took the correct first step by coming here. Is it possible to get some pictures of the car such as a couple of the exterior, interior and under the hood? See if you can find out how many miles are on it.

I hate to assume anything being the car is so far away and you are skeptical about info provided by your uncle. If you can post pics that would really help us help you. If you are not sure how to post pics we can assist with that.

Your uncle isn't doing you any favors offering to buy at $50. Even if he scraps it he'll make $200 min.

[Guest Little_Lexis]

I'll post the few pictures I was sent. Can someone tell me how do I do that? It is a convertible (my cousin couldn't figure out how to get it down so he pulled it back by hand) but I figured even if I can't fix it I can do what my gramps did and only drive it with the top down. I know sentimental reasons isn't a good reason to keep it but if I could sit on it for a couple years and slowly work on it I would like to do that my problem is I don't even know where to start.

[RivNut]

LL

You should probably find an uninterested third party to take a look at the car for you. Who knows, it might not be as bad as you've been told. Perhaps your shady uncle knows something he doesn't want you to know. Only 1,750 convertibles were built in '83. If it has the turbo charged V6, it could be worth quite a bit. Perhaps there's an AACA contributor living close to the car who could take a look at it for you. In what part of FL is it hiding?

Ed

[Guest Rob J]

Hi LL, I'm in Miami, Florida. If the car isn't too far away, I can go take a look at it for you. What Jason and Ed said above.

[Guest Little_Lexis]

The car is in Leigh high acres but I'm getting it towed to north port. Not really sure where either of those places are

[JZRIV]

I'll post the few pictures I was sent. Can someone tell me how do I do that? It is a convertible (my cousin couldn't figure out how to get it down so he pulled it back by hand) but I figured even if I can't fix it I can do what my gramps did and only drive it with the top down. I know sentimental reasons isn't a good reason to keep it but if I could sit on it for a couple years and slowly work on it I would like to do that my problem is I don't even know where to start.

To post pics you can hit the reply button on this thread then the Go Advanced button in the lower right. Then scroll down and click on Manage Attachments. From there click Add Files then Select them (pics) from your hard drive and upload, then hit the Done button and thats it. If you still have problems send me a PM and I will give you my email then you can send to me and Ill post them for you.

Its hard to put a price on sentimental value. Its a personal thing to each individual. Ive seen enough folks over the years trying desperately to find a car they sold years earliers when despearte for money in order to buy it back due to sentimental reasons. In most cases once its gone its gone. It may take a bit of time to get through the details on your car but patience will allow you to make the right decision once armed with more facts. We are here in Lexington this week for the ROA national and there are a number of convertibles and they sure are beautiful cars. You can still find parts but some are getting hard to locate particularly ones specific to the convertible option itself and short supply often dictates price. Membership in ROA is a great asset to those seeking advice and parts longterm because few repair shops are familiar with them. Mechanical parts to keep your car running reliably and safely are still easily obtainable and reasonably priced.

[60FlatTop]

Here is a link to a forum thread doing a thorough job of refurbishing a car that was in pretty good shape to begin with: http://forums.aaca.org/f177/1985-riviera-convertibile-project-347543.html.

These are the skills and budget you will be required to provide.

Bernie