Beware...Before You Buy a Car
Beware...Before You Buy a Car. About a year ago, I was flipping through Thrifty Nickel paper looking for another
restoration project. I found an ad for a "69 Pontiac GTO repaired and prepped for paint. Just needs paint. $5, 000 or best offer." I called the guy and asked what he meant by "repaired and prepped." His response was "it just needed to be repainted and was ready to go."The vehicle was only 20 miles away so I decided to take a ride and check it outfor myself. Me and one of my buddies went over and inspected the vehicle. The description the man gave the impression that this was going to be a great car and wouldn't need much, but when we arrived we quickly found out otherwise.We started with the top side of the car and inspected the hood and underneath. First visible bad sign was the carburetor was missing.
The guy said it was a nice driving car, yet there wasn't even a carburetor. His answer was.."Oh I have it off cleaning it." How do you advertise a nice driving car without a carburetor?As we inspected further we started to notice how he had used spray paint to make it appear that the engine was new, but the reality was it was just a fresh spray paint can job.We pulled up the carpet to find rust pitted holes that he had smeared Bondo over, but it had squeezed through the floor board, which we could see through the other side. He must have used 2 gallons of Bondo on this car. This was just the beginning....I could go on and on, but will stop here. The lesson here is don't believe everything you read. Go and visibly inspect any car you are looking to buy or pay a professional to complete the inspection for you. It may cost some money to have the vehicle inspected, but you will find it to be money well spent because you can easily get ripped off.
PS. Don't get ripped off. Take the time to inspect your vehicle and get GTO Soup's Complete Classic Car Restoration Course to help you refinish your gem quickly and easily with our step-by-step instructions. Go to http://www.gtosoup.com
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Would you trade a 1980 Triumph TR7 for a 1958 Hillman Minx?
My husband and I bought a Triumpg TR7 this summer. It's brown with quite a bit of primer. It runs (needs a water pump) and is pretty solid. It's a soft top. A local car restoration shop is interested in trading us the Triumph for a 1958 Hillman Minx straight up. I can't decide if that's a good trade or not. I really like the Hillman (they're cute!) but I think the parts may be harder to come by and more expensive. Any opinions?
I must add that I am from the middle of the US. Hillman's are EXTREMELY rare here. And TR7's are sought after...at all....that why we only paid $250 for it.
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Info on a small version of a 1957 Chevy Bel Air?
I once lived in a small town and there was a car that looked just like a 1957 Chevy Bel Air but MUCH smaller. I now own a classic car restoration shop and have asked many people about this car. I have had one person tell me it is called the "phantom" 57 and it's origin is unknown. This person claims there are only three or four in existence. I recently went back to this small town only to find the car and the owner no longer reside there. Has anyone ever seen or heard of such a car? If so I would be interested in the history of it as well. Thanks in advance to any plausible answers I get.
There is "such a thing" as I have seen one with my own eyes. I am not saying GM made it, I am just saying it exists and I want to know what it is, a kit car, a proto-type or what.
I searched for Vauxhall classics, nothing there. This car looked EXACTLY like a 57 bel air with the silver inset on the rear fenders and everything. It was just smaller in every aspect, height, width, and length. This may have been a one-off custom. I truly don't know, just thought I would throw the question out there. At the time, I just never asked the owner about it and when I went back to look at the car and talk with the owner both were gone.
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Good (car restoration) buisness idea?
I have visited some websites that offer car retorations on muscle cars, exotics, ext. Is car restoration a good buisness to start these days because I have always wanted to own my own buisness some day. And how much does an average car restoration shop charge for a single car? Is it hard to start? Any answere is appreciated
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Good (car restoration) buisness idea?
I have visited some websites that offer car retorations on muscle cars, exotics, ext. Is car restoration a good buisness to start these days because I have always wanted to own my own buisness some day. And how much does an average car restoration shop charge for a single car? Is it hard to start? Any answere is appreciated
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Car Restoration Shop?
Does anyone know a good car restoration shop around Los Angeles CA, that would do some work on my 68 Camaro
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