avantey Posted September 19, 2015 Share Posted September 19, 2015 I have a chance to get this 1964 Avanti R1 next weekend. It is up to the floor in dirt, it as been there a while, is supposed to be very original and the price is very low. Is it worth saving? I can go inspect it this afternoon if I want or should I walk away? Is it Hershey material- as a car or parts? Probably the hog troughs are gone as is much of the lower end (axles, rear end, suspension, steering links, maybe oil pan, fuel/brake lines etc. I have never pulled a vehicle out of the dirt like this and do not know how bad it can get. The Stude Lark frame under the Avanti is notorious for rusting out at the firewall as well. Is it a parts car at this point or what? Thanks, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted September 19, 2015 Share Posted September 19, 2015 These are neat but even if that car was free it would be a bad deal. Unless it was a R3 4 speed, then I might think differently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capngrog Posted September 19, 2015 Share Posted September 19, 2015 I can go inspect it this afternoon if I want or should I walk away? Why would you not want to go inspect it? The photos and the fact that it's near enough that you can go inspect it, would get my "old car juices" flowing. Even if you find that the car is a total disaster, at least you'll know. If you don't go inspect it, the question will haunt you forever: "Was it worth saving, or was it a pile of rusted junk?' Go inspect it, take some photos and post them here. Everyone (I assume ) on this forum loves an "old car chase/find", whether or not the car chased/found is worthy of saving from the crusher. Cheers,Grog 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avantey Posted September 19, 2015 Author Share Posted September 19, 2015 Grog- I like your style!! Decided I am going to go look just cuz'. ... There is also an '89 MB 560 roadster there and lots of parts/stuff! Will get some pics if I can Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted September 19, 2015 Share Posted September 19, 2015 Is that the car from Buffalo? The pictures look familiar from the estate sale. You are looking down the barrel of 300 $100 jobs. If you can get it purchased and delivered for under $4,000 you should be able to weather a 100% loss if it is a big mess. Reselling or parting it can minimize the loss. Where is it located and what is the seller's contact information. Maybe I can help.Bernie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trimacar Posted September 19, 2015 Share Posted September 19, 2015 A friend of mine, owner of three early Avantis, says the most expensive Avanti you'll ever buy is the cheapest. Very expensive car to restore these days, as are many....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted September 19, 2015 Share Posted September 19, 2015 If it is cheap enough you have nothing to lose. Bring it home and inspect carefully. Make a list of all repairs it needs. Decide if it is worth it, and if you want to get involved in a project of that magnitude. If there is any question in your mind, don't touch it. Nothing worse than spending time and money on a car and finding out that by tearing it apart you have actually reduced the value, and made it harder to restore for the next guy. A lot of cars have been lost that way. Put it up for sale if it is too much for you and let someone else have a go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avantey Posted September 19, 2015 Author Share Posted September 19, 2015 Well I just got back from the 'pickin' trip and the Avanti was as bad as you can imagine. It is frame SN 5323, body 4211, turquoise on turquoise, and R1 auto with air. Interior- Not only is the car in the dirt up to the sills everything on the car is rotted or frozen up. The doors were cracked open a long time evidenced by the animal droppings and mold everywhere. I touched the glove box the door fell off, same for the center console. The door panels are rotted all across the bottom, what is left of the headliner is laying in the back seat. The rear deck is caved in to the trunk which does not open. All the glass is complete but things like the driver's vent window handle is on the rear floor. The best part of the interior was all four seats were in decent shape as was the dash and consoles. It is a unmolested car but rotting into the earth.. Engine bay- The engine is very complete with all shrouds, air cleaner hoses etc. all intact. The battery is replaced by a square one and another 'fluid canister' is bolted to the inner fender in that battery spot. Not sure what it is for. Other than that the engine bay is complete and unmolested but full of animal droppings .leaves, etc. Exterior- The paint is gone on a lot of the car. But the body is in very good shape with no cracks, damage, etc. All the chrome is there including the grille under the front end. All the trim pieces are there but all the bumper rubber guards are gone. Below are a few pics I took of the car. I did not leave an offer because I want to see if he gets it out of the dirt. The condition of the hog troughs and frame are very important info before I decide anything. My guess is it is a parts car given the cost of restoration these days and how it needs everything. Also- the one pic is of a Worthington shop compressor. It turns over but was not started, seems to have a newer Dayton motor. .//////////What is it worth? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest AlCapone Posted September 19, 2015 Share Posted September 19, 2015 What is the price ? Wayne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uh6077 Posted September 20, 2015 Share Posted September 20, 2015 $1500. It is about 10 minutes from me and a good reminder of what will happen if I leave my cars outside in upstate NY. http://rochester.craigslist.org/cto/5227019802.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capngrog Posted September 20, 2015 Share Posted September 20, 2015 It's a beautiful car in an ugly condition. Sort of like a long-ago girlfriend who has fallen into a drug habit. As with each situation, the emotional and monetary cost to rehabilitate either one could break you in more ways than one. As to the Avanti, it depends on what you want to do with it. If you want to restore it, I think that it would be way more trouble than it's worth. If you want to part it out, then bid accordingly. You say that the body panels are good (are they the fiberglass ones?) so they should be worth something. The price of $1500.00 is tantalizingly low, and even I, as a Bitter Old Bastard (BOB), might bite at that; however, if you're still interested,I'd try $1,000.00 and see where that takes you. Let us know how it does or doesn't work out. Good Luck,Grog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keiser31 Posted September 20, 2015 Share Posted September 20, 2015 So sad to see such a fine car in such poor condition. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uh6077 Posted September 20, 2015 Share Posted September 20, 2015 Can a flat bed wrecker get back to where the car is? You would need to dig out behind the tires and make sure the axle pumpkin, exhaust and other parts are not dragging on the ground. The wheels are likely locked up so it will need to be winched out. Of course doing that can cause other issues if the frame is really soft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avantey Posted September 20, 2015 Author Share Posted September 20, 2015 uh6077, where did you see a price on the car? I was there and told it will be bid and leave one if interested. The estate sale manager said both cars would be bid outside the sale and they would like to get $1500 for the Avanti but will take high bid. As for removal- There is a grove of trees in front and in back, it sort of sets in a pocket in the woods with driver's side accessible. He plans to jack it up, block under it and figure out how to rotate it out of that spot from what he said so it could be winched or loaded from there. This would mean removing a couple of more trees in front of it I guess. Not sure how he plans to turn it, maybe with a tractor and strap? He is a Corvette guy and really likes the looks of the Avanti so that helps him take care with it in my mind. Either way I will let him do that dirty work and see how bad it is underneath next weekend during the sale. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
intimeold Posted September 20, 2015 Share Posted September 20, 2015 $1500. It is about 10 minutes from me and a good reminder of what will happen if I leave my cars outside in upstate NY. http://rochester.craigslist.org/cto/5227019802.html I would buy it for that. But only for parts. I recently posted on this forum about another Avanti; that I was considering buying. It was not quite as bad as this one though. The one I looked at, had some really collectible parts with it; but needed a full restoration. I spent some time and priced out a future restoration; and I was soon above the cost of buying a running one; and my prices include No labor yet. I just couldn't justify it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uh6077 Posted September 20, 2015 Share Posted September 20, 2015 The price is on the craigslist ad but like you said that might just be what they "want" to get. I don't see it selling for near that. I would guess the highest bid will be $700-800 but just because they said highest bid wins it doesn't mean they will actually sell for that. Kind of like saying "best offer". It is going to be a tough sell. i can also see the scenario where someone bids $1500 without looking into what it will take to get the car out of there. They show up, work for a few hours then after seeing what they are up against pull there bid and walk away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted September 20, 2015 Share Posted September 20, 2015 It's only 1500 bucks. It needs $30,000 to $50,000 to make something of it. Chiseling a few hundred bucks off the entry fee seems so self demeaning to me. I'm trying to think of an instance when a person wouldn't meet my asking price and I watched them leave thinking "Now there goes a wise man." (I have thought quite the opposite). How can one stand there and say "Well, I think your price of $1500 is too high, it's worth $700." Gee, help me out; would you itemize that and tell me how you arrived at your offer? I am 30 miles away. If it is still there Thursday I might send a flatbed over to pick it up for that "huge" asking price without even looking at it. If I like it I'll keep it. If not... I can't recall a total loss. Just call it 1500 bucks ventured.Bernie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uh6077 Posted September 20, 2015 Share Posted September 20, 2015 Buy it and let us know how that turns out. Just remember that scrap value right now is only $0.03 lb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted September 20, 2015 Share Posted September 20, 2015 (edited) Sold!The flatbed wasn't available until Thursday.You snooze you lose.B Edited September 20, 2015 by 60FlatTop (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capngrog Posted September 20, 2015 Share Posted September 20, 2015 Sold!The flatbed wasn't available until Thursday.You snooze you lose.B Congratulations on your purchase of a collector vehicle. It may need a new battery, and you may be able to purchase the Worthington compressor shown in avantey's Post #8 to pump up the tires (which look a bit low). Other than that, let us know how it looks when removed from the forest (photos, please). Sometimes, snoozin' is good. Good luck,Grog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uh6077 Posted September 20, 2015 Share Posted September 20, 2015 Sold!The flatbed wasn't available until Thursday.You snooze you lose. Not snoozing, just ignoring. I don't have the time or want to part a car out. Post some pics when you get her out so we can all see what gem we missed, haha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeventhSon Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 Sold!The flatbed wasn't available until Thursday.You snooze you lose.BGood score! Whilst everyone was talking money, money, money, you were giving it a consideration not wholly based on money (As unimogjohn says, "It's only money...) and went over and snatched it away. Well done! As an Avanti aficionado, please, please don't part it out - in my opinion it is a sin to part these cars out (unless they've been run over by an M1 tank). Just clean it and clean it and clean it and soak the motor in Marvel Mystery Oil and clean it some more. And of course change all the fluids top to bottom and re-do the brakes and clean the gas tank and replace all fluid lines and boil the radiator, etc. etc. I bet you end up with a fairly decent running Avanti that will be fun to drive and you can say you've saved another one. My '63 Avanti R2 was maybe in a little bit better condition than this one when I got it (just a tiny bit), and yes, I spent more money than I had originally intended. But earlier today while I was roaring down the highway with a smile on my face I had the satisfaction of knowing that I had stopped the deterioration of another one of these icons of automotive history and having a bit of fun also. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avantey Posted September 21, 2015 Author Share Posted September 21, 2015 Congrats Bernie, very proactive on your part. I will say that not everyone can afford or wants to toss $1500 sight unseen but it is good you can. And putting us down for dickering is not acceptable. Price dickering is an honorable tradition in this hobby (and many others) and we are each allowed our own opinion on the value of any car. With what I saw Saturday it is maybe a good parts car and I hope the condition does not disappoint you when you actually see what you bought. Even the sales manager told me he thought $500-700 was about right. I do not think I "snoozed", just more conservative with my money, 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Mellor NJ Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 I noticed square headlights. Weren't all "Studebaker-built" Avantis originally equipped with round ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Byrd Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 Dave Mellor, the square headlight were a running change, but I believe All the "after Studebaker" had square ones too. Really neat site with info here: http://www.theavanti.net/chronology.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffalowed Bill Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 The car is a 1964 which had square headlights and wood grained dash and area around the shifter. The 64 is much more rare the 1963, with only about 800 produced. The 64's were at one time much more sot after then the 63's. Today there is little difference between the two years with condition and options being the most important factors determining the car's value. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 It will be interesting to see how bad the underneath of the car is. For 1500.00 I agree that is not much of a risk unless you start putting money into it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 I didn't buy it. I called and the seller told me they had confirmation and a deposit. I wouldn't that written anything if I had slipped in and took it from a forum guy, probably wouldn't in the first place. I was just getting a position in case the advice on the overpricing was taken. I write bad enough things on here anyway. I don't need to look that slippery. The seller was an estate sales person. She kept my number 585-797-7421. I told her to call me if any Buick, Cadillac, Packard, or Rolls-Royce cars or literature showed up. She laughed when I told her I don't have any fish hooks in my pockets.Bernie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Luddy Posted September 23, 2015 Share Posted September 23, 2015 I currently have a 79 Avanti II in good running condition, needs hog trough work and paint, etc. for sale It sat inside storage for 20 years but was neglected. It took a week at a body shop to strip & sand the paint revealing a very good body. a couple of days to clean the gas tank, new fuel & filter, fiddle with the carb, change some fluid and now runs good. I love these cars, but..., I have 2 others ahead of it and running low on time,cash, and space. So I'm asking $3300(USD, as Im in Canada) with the new rubber gasket kit for the windows & doors. Haven't sold it yet, which suprised me. Got a storage spot for winter booked after Oct 1st so I think it will stil be around in the spring and I'll have a change of heart, more money, and get back at it!Don't mean to hijack, but I think that 64 was well worth that kind of money!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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