Reply to "Sale prices high, 3 cars leaving the country!"

I fell in love with Panteras when I first saw them. I grew up in Livonia Michigan. Across from the local ice rink was a parking lot where Ford installed several little items when they were first brought into the country. I would hang onto a chain link fence and look out onto hundreds of them.

I went to work for Ford Customer Service Division late in 1977. I took initial customer complaints over the phone. If a Pantera customer called in the call went to "Priotity Section" were they were given special handling. My brother was in that Office. The biggest issue was with the rust problem because it was a safety issue. Ford bought back several, offered repairs after warranty and many other special considerations. We had 3 cars in the parking lot that were bought back. Holes were cut into the rear fenders so engineers could see the rust. Several of us wanted to buy those cars. Ford shreded them. So I knew the problems with these cars and still wanted one badly.

I had not seen a pantera for 20 years when I saw 2 of them at a specialty car sales place in San Diego. I showed them to my wife and told her it was the car I had always wanted. I had just finished a 1971 Corvette that I had had since 1977. Customized it to death. The corvette guys hated it. The wife said sell the Vette and get a Pantera. 2 Months later I bought a Pantera. I still had the Vette, although I never drove it again and did sell it. Because I knew the Pantera well, I was only interested in a rust free car. Everything else could be fixed. Living in Colorado made it easy. We had Dennis who had saved many of them.

I did not buy the car as an investment. I bought it because I love it. It still puts a smile on my face every time I drive it.