Looking for a pantera

Do you like yellow?

there's a great yellow Pantera for sale in texas

http://www.panteracars.com/10032006JH.htm

the seller is completely trustworthy, the car is solid in every way.

George

What price range?
Is location an issue?
What are you looking for in terms of condition and upgrades?

I don't think using carchex is very effective in this case. The best thing to do by far is have a Pantera enthusiast do an inspection. You will usually find someone who is more than willing to check a car for you.

good morning

thanks for the texas referral, looks hot, and probably worth every buck, but probably in "too" good of shape for me.

parts of this posting will probably seen contradictory and tell you that i am confused and have not totally made up my mind yet, if you come to that conclusion-you are correct.

first and most important, there is no way that i want to get involved with a chassis with major (or even intermediate) rust damage. minor rust damage and/or surface rust i totally expect and can accept. that issue aside, price will be the determining factor for the remaining vehicular condition that i will accept.

part of me says, it would be real cool and fun to get a car that i can do some remaining major work on, ie: engine replacement, suspension upgrades, interior etc., but practically speaking to replace/repair/restore/upgrade each of these component systems will require the purchase of parts at retail and before not too long, the amount invested starts to climb real real fast, my own labor is not really an issue-much of it is fun work. after all, this type of "hands-on" rebuilding is what really brought me to decide on a pantera rather than a viper or elise as we were considering.

so, i guess ideally the vehicle which would suit my purposes best would be a partially completed pantera. price of course depends on how far along the car is, but i can forsee spending (or can i call it investing to make it sound better) about 40-45k for the acquisition.

location is not a concern, however i will under no circumstances buy without personally inspecting, and i will not be put under a time-pressure gun (ie: the e-bay time limit is ok for small ticket items, but not when you start talking the cost of a pantera).

as far as carchex goes, i engaged them to look at a pantera last week, the report was absolutley superb. from what the vehicle owner says, the inspector virtually drove him nuts, the report had over 100 pictures, and very nice written notes. well-well worth the $150. before the report, i truly had planned to go and inspect, the report changed that. maybe i just got a great inspector, but i will use them again.

nazgul

Personally I think you're better off finding a car that has had most of the upgrades done, THE ZF IS IN PERFECT SHAPE and it very drivable with a decent motor. No rust issues and has been upgraded to at least 17" wheels.

In the long run, the reason I say better off. The parts you're going to need for the upgrades are going to add up $$$ wise very quickly. More than you can imagine. Then there is you're time to actually get the work done if your mechanically inclined and do it yourself. But even still, there is the learning curve to deal with. And if you send the car out to someone to have these things done, plan on it being gone a long, long time depending on what your having done. Then add the labor times at $90.00+ dollars an hour for the work to be done by someone else which in itself will rock your boat when you get the bill. Better also figure more $$$ for things that are found along the way that you didn't plan for or didn't see.

Take it from experience from me and many others. Buy a car you like that has already been through all of this. You'll save yourself a lot of time, money and the fustrations of dealing with it yourself.

Unless of course you are like a few of us that prefer to turn our own wrenches and find that part of the passion and enjoyment of owning a Pantera.

But either way, you'll love the car when you get things sorted out and start driving it. I do.

I agree. You'll save a lot of money in the long run buying a car that has had the major work done. I love working on my cars, for me its a stress reliever but I can see how it could be a stress source if there was too much or work that I couldn't personally do myself. Also by purchasing a solid running car, you can enjoy driving it instead of looking at it apart in your garage. Small projects can be done along the way while keeping your car on the road.

YES, buy the most “bang for your buck”,, you can get a good deal if you take your time. You can buy a nice Pantera for 40-45K. LEARN the Pantera market, parts, upgrades…..This B-board is a great place for your questions as Pantera owners will help you.

what is interesting is the wide spread of prices out there.

as a pure novice just starting in this pantera game, it seems pretty hefty prices are being asked for the original unrestored ones considering the money that is needed to bring them back to shape.

a seemingly nice upgraded one just went on e-bay for 35k. considering the very brief description given, that seems awful low, unless all was not disclosed.

nazgul

I've only been at this a few months, but here's what I've learned so far. Prices for Ford parts are relatively cheap. Prices for OEM Pantera parts can give you palpitations.

It seems to me the only time you'd buy a new part is if that part is missing from your car. IMO, just about any Pantera part could be restored to like-new for less than a new one would cost.

But then you have upgrades. Bigger wheels, lighter clutch, more horsepower. You get what you pay for. I can see where $35K would get you a low-rust, fairly original (i.e. few upgrades) car with a few hundred hours left on the motor.