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hi everyone, over the last several months i have debating whether to buy, and then what model of "fun car" to purchase. well, i decided on a pantera, (over either an elise or viper) and am going to look at one tomorrow.

i saw a couple of inspection checklists on some web-sites, and of course, now i can not locate them.

your assistance is greatly appreciated, hopefully i will be able to return the favor.

nazgul
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Nazgul,

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... Smiler

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! Smiler

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!
thanks for the help, from what i have been able to learn, the ZF is a heck of a strong gearbox, and expensive to replace/repair. i will try to avoid that. as far as rust and bodywork goes, both of those tasks are about as welcome to me as a sharp stick in the eye.

so, thanks again, we shall see what develops. if nothing else, the hunt will be fun.

nazgul
Nazgul,

Be wary of some of the Carcheck's they are often not worth the paper they are printed on and are most unlikely to capture data going back to the '70's.

Not all states report, participate or allow access to vehicle information, so you often don't get the full picture e.g. I ran a Carfax history on my '96 Dodge Ram truck prior to purchase, showing 2 owners, no prior losses etc. All was good until 6 months later when I changed insurance company and they said you do know that this truck has been the subject of 3 insurance claims. They were able to provide the dates and specific amounts of the claims, one for $17K! I filed with the class action suit against Carfax, but heard nothing....as they say 'Caveat Emptor'.

Julian
julian

arg!
life is never simple

i was planning on using the carfax as a source to verify the general condition, and see if there were any gross visible difficiencies. if all looked ok i was going to travel and look at the car.

too many bucks for me to go solely on the opinion of a third "independent" party.

ie. buyer beware

nazgul
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