Reply to "pre-purchase advice"

1)- not just Panteras but 100% of ALL European cars of the early '70s had metal corrosion problems. Buy and learn to use a Bondo-meter, available at paint & body supply shops for about $25. It measures paint & Bondo thickness by external contact, warning you of areas where there's no steel! The really critical corrosion-prone spots on a Pantera are the rocker panels and behind the drivers door ahead of the fuel tank. There are structural members in there that cannot even be accessed until the engine, transaxle and fuel tank have all been removed, itself a monumental undertaking for an inexperienced shop (at $70 an hour).
2)- a ZF that won't shift into ALL gears, easily and without grinding is gonna cost someone big buckss! Ask if the ring gear bolts have been safety-wired or if the lube has been changed recently. Then ask where the fill plug is; if the seller can't point to it (under the shift-shaft box on the drivers side), you'll know that this $6-8000 part of the car is probably still running on its original fill- now some 30 years old. Look underneath- if the bottom of the cases are wet with 90-wt, not much of the original fill may even be left. A ZF overhaul is about 2 months of time, about $5000 at best, and certainly screws up any plans you might have for actually driving the car any time soon, after spending a bunch of money.
3)- formally join POCA and/or PI. Get to know where the local Pantera chapters are in your area. Meet some folk that are already experts and ask for help. In direct contrast to most other car clubs, Pantera people will go out of their way to help a new guy. Total strangers will invite you into their homes and go with you to view & drive a likely car, which they may know of intimately- good or bad. And stay in touch!