The two things you really want to avoid are rust and a crappy ZF gearbox. One will cost way to much $$$ and time to repair, and so will the other. Seriously consider www.pim.net (PI Motorsports) as few know more than the Adlers and they will give you great, solid and honest advice. They ARE the Pantera experts - plus, a trip to sunny California is always nice...
Engine work is easy(ish) and depending on what you want from the car, paint/body, interior and various cosmetic or performance upgrades may matter more or less to you. The great thing about owning a Pantera is that you can chose to have a bone-stock car, or a heavily modified racer and we'll still like you!
As Chip said, read the articles on Panteraplace.com (Mike Daily has done us all a great service) and search this forum (ditto to George Pence and Dave Adler before him) and read the posts to learn more about the cars. You have made a wise choice that will become more clear years from now when Vipers and Elises are just old cars and not classic super-cars like the Pantera is now. Welcome and enjoy!