I'm looking at a GTO tomorrow - NEED HELP

[GTO_DON]

I cant believe Im the only guy here that thinks you should walk away from that car fast. 1st of all its only a base GTO with an automatic yet [over 50k produced] and its driver quality at best. Air Condition added,hood tach probably added I doubt it left the factory with a posi as most base cars did not get it.Its got a dash cap over the original which will cost you over a thousand dollars to replace,wrong wheels as it most likely was a hubcap car with the spare being a HF wheel.104k on the odometer and its 30k!!! Most people i know would not even pay 20k for it to be honest. This is a real tuff market right now for GTO's. Does not look like a fair deal to me. You can do alot better.

[mockingbird812]

Hey Don - good to hear from you! I don't think there is anything to &quot;wallk away from&quot; - you just have to get it for the right price. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/naughty.gif[/img] [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif[/img]

[Survivor 69/Z28]

Yea, maybe he could do better. However, finding a possible car that is local is a big plus. Maybe if he does end up paying an extra $2k for it. Keep in mind that traveling and shipping will cost him ever bit of $2k. Another thing to consider that the negotians have not even begun. So he truly may be able to get this car for low to mid 20's.

[StealthBird]

Well, from my perspective, as I'm not a &quot;flipper&quot; or investor, my comment that I would be looking at $24K is based on whether or not I really loved the car. As I stated earlier, if you're looking to flip it, forget it. If you want a really cool looking Liberty Blue 69 GTO, with hideaways, I would think somewhere in the $24K range would be all I would pay, maybe get it for less (like $21K), but asking a seller to come down 30% on a $30K car is asking a lot.

Don, I hear ya on the price of base GTO's. The whole market has changed. Never thought I'd see a perfectly restored 1970 W-30 4-speed hardtop, the finest in the world, with rock solid documentation, two build cards, an absolutely flawless restoration, a car that took 1st place at the Olds Nats, and it didn't even crack $100K on a televised auction! According to Olds zealots, these cars were worth $200K all day in this condition, so the market has really fallen.

Good catch on the dash cover, I missed that one. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/wink.gif[/img]

It really boils down to getting the PHS. This could easily be a hubcap car, no posi, no hood tach, even an exposed headlight car that someone converted years ago. Not that &quot;converted&quot; items diminish the value, if you truly love the car, but this guy is asking top dollar at $30K, so you should expect everything, and be disappointed by nothing. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/smile.gif[/img]

[Gear_Jammer]

I appreciate all of your opinions and information. I am not a GTO expert. I'd like to think I know them decent, but obviously not as well as some of you.

<span style="font-size: 14pt"><span style="text-decoration: underline"><span style="font-weight: bold">GTO Don</span></span></span> - can you please explain what you mean by it having a dash cap over the original? I can't say I know what you're talking about. Also, isn't it possible that the wheels are correct, but that the spare got changed out at some time? I am going to order the PHS report tomorrow so that I can see what it originally came with. Lastly, if it came with everything it has, would your opinion change on whether it's something to consider buying (albeit for a lesser price)?

Here are some pics that y'all have asked to see:







Please keep the opinions coming...

[RM Schimel]

I agree with StealthBird…it is not the time to try and flip these cars. The green 442 W-30 he mentioned is a good example. That car was clearly a 200K plus car just a couple years back but not in today’s economy. That was beautiful auto restored by Level One and well known. But with all the uncertainty in the economy currently and the cost of doing these cars correctly… you have to buy a car for passion &amp; not for profit today!

That’s just my opinion as well! RM

[Survivor 69/Z28]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: RM Schimel</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I agree with StealthBird…it is not the time to try and flip these cars. The green 442 W-30 he mentioned is a good example. That car was clearly a 200K plus car just a couple years back but not in today’s economy. That was beautiful auto restored by Level One and well known. But with all the uncertainty in the economy currently and the cost of doing these cars correctly… you have to buy a car for passion &amp; not for profit today!

That’s just my opinion as well! RM </div></div>

FYI: My buddy is just trying to find an old GTO to have some fun in. Not sure how we started on the topic of flipping cars, auctions, and W30's. But we sure value any help we can get.

[StealthBird]

Sorry, didn't mean to stray off topic! I just wasn't sure whether you were looking to flip the GTO, or to keep it. I was just making a point that prices have dropped, so be careful. The seller is asking a 2007 era price, and this is 2010.

As a comparison, there was just an immaculate, top notch restored 1969 Hurst/Olds on E-Bay, 2nd owner, listed in the H/O registry, full body off resto, all the tags and stickers in place, correct air cleaner, correct tires, fully detailed chassis, and it didn't even bring $40,000. Prices have tanked on those cars.

The hood tach on your 69 GTO does not appear to be factory installed. The factory &quot;big hole&quot; was round, this one appears to be egg-shaped, and I can see that someone bent the hood bracing in front to it to clear. It looks like an original harness. Also, original hood tachs had a rivet on the forward most part of the hood tach that went through the hood (plus the two studs I see in the picture). The rivet prevented theft.

It still looks like a nice car, if you can get it for a decent price. Again, check the head casting code on the center exhaust ports, they should be &quot;62&quot;, possibly &quot;16&quot;.

[Gear_Jammer]

Thanks a lot everyone - this was very helpful. I think y'all are correct and that it's priced too high, although I tend to disagree that it's worth under about $19K-$20K. I've decided to put this car aside and to continue looking for a nice GTO. I can always come back to this car if it's still around, which based on the current price and the seller's unwillingness to negotiate, it just might be. I've got a few other GTO's in my sights, so I hope y'all don't mind me making a similar thread on them when/if I get a chance to look at them.

Thanks again...

[69Tom]

Hard to tell from photos, but this one might be worth checking out. http://dallas.craigslist.org/ndf/cto/1751618630.html