Reply to "New member (considering a purchase) with lots of questions......"

Buy the best car you can. I would go to Le Belle Macchine d'Europa in the Poconos to look at Panteras and ask the owners what to look for in the cars. This is June 20 - June 23, 2014.

From my perspective, I would buy a car with an outstanding, rust free body. These cars are unit body steel built, and so the bodies that are rust free are not only stronger, but have a better value down the road. Repairing one that is rusted will cost you huge money unless you do all the work yourself for free. I have a friend of mine that loves doing metal work -- I liken it to a mental disease; but I digress.

First would be an excellent rust free body that the doors, and front and rear lids fit well. The next thing to look for is the transaxle -- this must not make noise and should shift smooth between all gears. If it doesn't -- that will cost you $4,000 as a ball park -- if you don't have many hard parts to throw at it. The engine is the least of your worries. Even though it takes someone who knows what they are doing with a Cleveland 351, those people are around and this will be the cheapest portion of a repair. Of course the electrical systems are fun on these cars as well -- but the body, transaxle, and engine are the big money pits on these things.

If you feel like buying airfare, look at Barrett Jackson and Russo and Steele for their auctions in Scottsdale, AZ, this January. Also, you might get lucky and find a Pantera at the Pavillions on saturday of the Barrett auction. I saw two cars last year at Russo, and the bodies were in excellent shape -- needed paint, but the bodies were great and the cars could've been driven as is as they weren't that bad. Plus I thought they went pretty reasonable given the condition of them.

Just don't buy the first one you see for sale -- unless you are with someone who REALLY knows these cars and can see what they are looking at. These cars are reasonable now, but I think that they are still an unknown that will be coming into their own in the near future and that means prices will rise when that happens. I think they are one of the biggest bargains out there right now.

Best of luck!!!

Mark