Looking for basket case.....??

Blah...Blah...Blah....Blah...Blah!

In the end it will cost you a he** of a lot more than your $14,000 928 and Delorean combined.

Tough call !! I'm in the middle of restoring my 71' Bought it because of the good frame and started from there , have $32,000 into it and not done yet !! There are a lot of nice Pantera's out there for sale with a lot of the upgrades all ready completed . You might want to shop around and see if any of them may be close to what you are looking for . Take the time and HAVE IT CHECKED OUT THOROUGHLY !! before you consider buying. That's my two cents !!! :0)

It all depends on what you are willing to spend or do.The two cars you mentioned are known for being poorly designed cars that need lots of work,so that might throw off your thinking for other cars.Im not saying Panteras dont need modifications,cause they do!you know your limitations and what you want better than other poeple,so its your call.Me personally i would find a car thats an okay condition driver that needs work so you can enjoy the car as you upgrade/repair it.For what its worth various venders and poeple brought in newer cars than the 74 model year so there are newer cars out there as well.there are also alot of low milage early cars.No matter what route you take it will be alot more $$$$ than the porshe etc(but so worth it).

Buy 'Bad Boy' on this website, Home page, cars for sale. You cannot build that car for that amount of money, guaranteed, and in 10 years it'll be worth $100,000. It just need Campy clones in my opinion.

I was looking at a car in Brea, CA, spare motor, spare ZF, guy started a restoration project 20 years ago and never finished it. I didn't wand to do the same thing... Pantera frustration... how sad! Never finished it!! Got out the catalogs and did some online pricing to see what it would cost vs. what it would be worth and I made a decision not to frustrate myself also. I wanted to drive a Pantera as well as invest in a Pantera as well as work on a Pantera. It always costs twice as much to rebuild a motor delivered to a mechanic in a basket as to overhaul a complete motor that doesn't run.

Better re-read www.panteraplace.com beginning to end, and see what it takes and why descisions are made and what tools are needed.

If you really gotta do some wrenching, check Hemmings.com and part out the maroon GTS thats got 'repairable front end damage, disassembled, but complete' sell it on eBay.
It's been for sale for 7 years!!! Ask yourself why, or better yet, ask yourself 'hey, isn't this thing going to cost $5,000 to paint, at least, once I get all the parts and get everything back on and working properly' and by the way, 'self, don't radiators cost about $1,000?' Add hauling, $1,000.00 by U-Haul, add..., and....

I just paid $45.00 for a window motor, $153.50 for a set of Euro tail lights, missed a bid for a wiper motor for $50.00 and saw Group IV tail lights go for $380.00.
$260.00 for A-arm bushings, etc....

There's a guy in Kerville, TX with parts listed on eBay. He'll make some money. There'll be one less Pantera and other Pantera's will keep going up in value.

Prices have gone up with the decline in the stock market. Both real estate and exotic collectables. But Ferrari 308's have gone down in value while Ferrari Dino's have gone up in value ($35,000 to $65,000 over 10 years).

You'll have a great starting platform with 'Bad Boy' and insuance is not as high as you might think. In 10 years, it'll be worth $100,000 easy. And you'll NEVER sell it, even if you want a bigger house. It'll give you MORE than $100,000 pleasure and it cost more than $100,000 to build!!!! A steal, offer $50,000 cash!!! I might!!! So you may be doing yourself a favor.

Enjoy yourdelf! Happy motoring.

Trust me, buy the best car you can afford & go from there. You won't regret it.

The frustration, time and money to "build" the car your way should only be undertaken by someone with two years or so of time and a very large budget to complete the project. If you are personally going do all the work, as a labor of love, go ahead. Otherwise, with enough cash in hand, buy a car that has been done really well. Remember, with your lack of experience in Panteras, how do you decide if "your way" is the right combination. For example, ask a few guys with really nice cars how much front end caster they can get. Probably 2 degrees max. You need to run with 4 degrees. Who among these owners can tell you how to get that much caster? Do any of them even have a clue? What I am getting at, is, that there are owners who put a huge pile of money into engines, interiors, paint but have done nothing to correct the engineering and steering wheel input presssure and handling of the car. Call Pat Michal at Future Auto/Performance Automotive, Chelmsford, MA 978-256-33665. He has a client with a GT5 Clone, red, that has been done correctly. I think $50,000 would buy the car.

Hey, RoBeRt. Thanks for your insightful input. If you dont like what you see, change the channel. Or dont, but be nice.

Phill1, thanks! I actually went over and visited with Pat in Chelmsford. Nice guy. Very knowledgeable. Had a few there being changed over to GT5S bodywork. Beautiful. Pat had with him that day his white 1987 GT5S formerly owned by Carrol Shelby. Nice ride.

I feel the 50K should buy a great Pantera. How much did they cost in 71-74 when new??

The reason for the title of this post is because I feel I know what I want, and having been through a few cars that cost a bunch without looking any better, maybe it would be better to start from scratch. Maybe not. The research will continue. Thanks to all who made inteligent replies.

I think the best advice you received was: Never Give Up On Your Dream, If You Want It Bad Enough, You'll Get It. My personal experience: since I decided I was not going to wait any longer to get a Pantera, I have been much more motivated to perform in my professional career. I'm self employed and heavy stock market losses took the wind out of my sails for a while. I noticed Pantera prices were up about $5,000 from same car comparable price from 2001. I decided I'm not gonna let those Wall Street liars detour my life, and I'm gonna still get what I want! I've wanted a Pantera for 30 years and always settled on Porche's, Lotus Esprits, a GTO convertible, Mustang convertibles, etc. No, I'm gonna get what I want, no compromises.

So, I'm self employed, and I had my determination back, and pulled some longer hours at the office. Funny how that works. Motivation is a really important thing. So I was ready.... And I'd been studying the exotic sports car market for 15 years. If I spent that much on a certain number of shares of stock, then why should I be nervous about a Pantera's price tag?

Then the question was narrowed in focus: do I want a show car (h*** yes) or do I want a driver? I wanted to drive it. Do I refinance the house back to a 30 year mortgage and get 'Bad Boy' or do I get something that's more affordable? One thing I know for sure, no Pantera I've ever seen in 15 years is Exactly What I Want. Very Close, but every one needed some small thing I was looking for.

So I had a list I put together: My Perfect Pantera. Then it became a matter of priorities. How close was each prospective Pantera to my Most Desirable Car? What would it cost to get it to what I want it to be? Upgrades, Color, Horsepower, 6 speed, Wheels, Tires, Interior, features that are so subtle that I could and have made a four page list. Of course no rust, straight body, original wheels with the car plus upgraded ones. All thrown in with the purchase price.

I decided not to refinance the house, and go with something I considered a good platform to 'build' on. If nothing else, if business stays good and I stay motivated, I can always get every dollar out of my Pantera that I put into it. And I'll have a hedge against Pantera inflation, and I can have it now, and I can enjoy my experience now. I can even sell it next year and buy 'Bad Boy' then if I really want it then and it's still available.

So, I still want 'Bad Boy' (but not that bad). But 'Bad Boy's' not red or maroon and does not have Campy Clones, and is not a Pre-L with an upgraded L dashboard, even if I got it for $50,000. But I could live with that, ha ha ha....

It takes some soul searching to make these decisions, and I'm content and satisfied with my decision. I don't need 600 horsepower with everything polished under the rear decklid, but I'd sure like to have it. I don't think I'm gonna do that even if I win the lottery. I'd just get 'Bad Boy' and have fewer modifications to do.

And if nothing else, I'll get my money back out of my Pantera, just not get paid for the labor I put into it, and that's OK.

Hope you get what you want out of life, and we've all explored all the options before, and you got a unanimous verdict: avoid Pantera frustration! Enjoy it as you work on it and individualize it. Everyone does that. Boat owners, Harley Davidson guys, RV'ers.... And so am I and all of us it seems!!!

But definitely do it if you've been wanting to do it for some time now!!!

When it's all said and done the best we can hope for is to have Good Friends and family, My car's have never called to see if i'm ok... Visited me in the hospital! What ever you do remember these are just Toys!

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Originally posted by RoBeRt:

When it's all said and done the best we can hope for is to have Good Friends and family, My car's have never called to see if i'm ok... Visited me in the hospital! What ever you do remember these are just Toys!

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Mine doesn't visit me either...but its drug really makes me feel reeeaaal good.

Have lots of money. Your going to need it.
Cozman.
# 09178

quote:

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Originally posted by jwm2k3:
Hello Pantera owners, I respectfully ask your advise as owners. There are two things, in my mind, that are required to make an enjoyable exotic automotive ownership experience. 1) The buyer must be qualified to own the exotic.(more on this) and 2) The particular exotic car in question must fit the buyers needs.

I have done a bit of internet research of the Pantera. I have visited a local Pantera restoration shop and spoke with the owner at length about Panteras and Pantera ownership. I want one. I qualify. I need to find a Pantera that qualifies for me.

What qualifies someone for Pantera ownership, not having owned one, is understanding. Understanding that even the last Panteras imported are about 30 years old. I believe I qualify because I understand that after purchasing a Pantera, the entry price is just the beginning. Like a boat, the cheapest part about it is the purchase price. This example is exaggerated, but you get what I mean.
I have had a 928 that was only $7000 when I bought it. Less than 30 days later the repair bill was another $7000. The 1981 DeLorean I had cost $8000 in repairs over the first year I had it, and I only put 300 miles on it, nevermind that fact that it just sucked.
It is time I piss my money away into something really fun. That last sentance was in jest. It is time for a Pantera. I think I want a basket case. I want to build it my way. I think I would like to find one with the least rust I can find, for cheap money and dis-assemble the entire thing. Dip the body and frame and start fresh. What do you all think? I know if I get a clean example that after a while I will want it to be better, perfect.

Let the replies roll in! Thanks guys.

jmurray72@comcast.net for direct replies.


John

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God, that even looks like you Robert !

quote:

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Originally posted by RoBeRt:

When it's all said and done the best we can hope for is to have Good Friends and family, My car's have never called to see if i'm ok... Visited me in the hospital! What ever you do remember these are just Toys!

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