Quote:
Originally Posted by MisterCamaro69
YMMV...I agree with blazin...
First off...The 1st gens have become too valuable to risk the everyday dents/dings/road rash a daily driver takes (my opinion)
2nd...Either you were very lucky, you didn't have it long, or you didn't fix stuff when it broke. These cars are pushing 40 years old, if it's not a rust bucket, and everything is there, you're still going to have to stay on top of it maintenance wise.
How many miles did you put on the car?
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I agree; I would not risk driving a "show car" around every day, but a car that is a "driver" I would...and did. And, I am not referring to the matching numbers SS's (in their various configurations), Z/28's, COPO's, Yenko's, etc. You can find a great solid car with a non-matching drivetrain for a heck of a lot less than one that is just missing the original engine.
I put 8,600 miles on the car. When I bought the car, the speedometer was not working. I drove it home and put a new speedo cable in and that was the extent of what I did to it. Nothing broke on me and I was looking forward to working on the car and fixing stuff that needed it, but it never happened.
I agree with you that most 1st gens in really good driver condition (e.g., nice paint and interior) is going to cost you right at $18-20k in today's market. Last year, that number was about 30-40% higher. There are good solid cars out there that are not restored just well taken care of for $13-15k as people need the money and are dropping prices like crazy. I've gone to see these cars and I've test driven them. The classic car market has taken a big hit and prices are falling. Those that deal with the "pedigree" cars (e.g., numbers matching Z/28) are not that affected right now. Though, the BJ auction has had some surprises with very nice cars going for quite a bit less than they should.
I am not sure what you mean by keeping on top of these cars maintenance wise. Do you mean you are constantly working on them? Or, that you have to do similar maintenance as a more modern car? The one thing that I really appreciate about these cars is that I can do the majority of repairs that might be needed.
I considered shifting my focus to 2nd gens because they are quite a bit less money and have some better engineering. For example, the '78 and '79 Z/28's can be had in very nice condition for $13-15k with some having only 50-60k original miles. But, I'm sure I'd be kicking myself if I did because I've always had a "thing" for the '68...this is in no reference to the guy that "loves" his cars
