Pantera #7001 - eBay - WARNING

There is an interesting history to that car. I almost bought it at John Scotti's in Montreal about 5 years ago. Instead it was purchased by Canadian Andrew in St. Catharines and he did some beautiful work on it. It was also the star of a 15 second burnout video that has made it's way around the 'net. Sadly fate was not kind to this car - see this thread:

http://pantera.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/7650045562...320080563#1320080563

What is a "transferable title". In some states it's extremely difficult to get a new title unless it's a standard title. Buyer beware.

i know that car well ! that was the first pantera i drove. i also put stock coil overs in the rear

You have to love an entrepreneur:

quote:

We purchased the car from an insurance auction in it's current condition. We do not know much about it's previous history other than what we have visually inspected...the only visible exterior damage is around the roof of the car where the engine bonnet opens...the undercarrage appears to be rust free and was actually coated with some form of a protection layer.

Like BONDO???

Don't walk, RUN AWAY from this car.

It would be interesting to know what happened between the wreck and now.

As a public service, I have listed the following eBay auction:

http://tinyurl.com/3436tt

omg people can make money on before and after pics

quote:

omg people can make money on before and after pics

No, really I don't figure to sell anything.

You DID know that right?

But for 75¢, hopefully I can at least get potential bidders to know what they are bidding on.

The seller's listing seems VERY suspect. They state they bought it in its current condition at an insurance sale. HUH??!!

Insurance companies don't repair the totalled wrecks they wind up owning. They sell them "as is".

Somewhere, somehow, someone has set this car up as something it isn't. Full disclosure is far from being made on this car.

That isn't right.

Larry

i would like t thank all of you veteran members for posting the truth about this car. i am on the hunt for a Pantera,and would love a black one. the undisclosed accident damage and repair is a huge deal killer.

thanks to all of you for saving my butt as i was considering this car.

Michael

Michael, that's what this crew is all about. There's a great bunch of guys here who will do their best never to let you down—no matter where you are. Good luck with your search and make sure you inspect ANY car yourself or have a trusted advisor do it for you.

And Larry: BRILLIANT!!! I wish I was so clever. You have just done a wonderful thing. Let me know if you do sell any prints and I'll send you a better copy of the image! We don't want any unhappy eBayers!

For the record: months after the crash, the car was sold to a guy in Florida (and it was on eBay in it's crashed state before that). It is POSSIBLE (but pretty unlikely) the current seller did not buy (or was not informed about) the car in that state.

I'm just amazed it transformed from the wreck it was to what is now presented in the auction. Unsuspecting buyers may very well be fooled. Great thinking and thanks Larry I see the top bidder made a retraction!

I seem to recall Canadian Andrew had a brand new $10K stroker motor in it, which from the photo's doesn't look to be the case now.

There are a number of other P cars on Ebay at present that appear to represent good value (After the above how can we be sure of anything on Ebay... ) they are in the high teens or low twenties with no reserves.

Julian

Another member sent the details of this car's history and the photos to the seller to inform him of the cars's history and his reply was:

quote:

Subject: Re: 1974 De Tomaso Pantera

we bought the car in its completed condition with a clean title....the car looks ok now
 
Ryan Jones
Silver Star Recycling
(916) 631-7300  (800) 783-4911
Specialized Italian Recycling
(916) 638-5111  (800) 783-4911
----- Original Message -----
To: sales@specializeditalianrecycling.com
Sent: Wednesday, July 04, 2007 5:04 PM
Subject: 1974 De Tomaso Pantera

Here are some pics of the car that you have up for auction. It was a beautifully restored car that on its first day out was t-boned. The car was NOT repairable. All top Pantera vendors looked and the car and determined it was not fixable. It was sold for parts. From the photos on you offer, i see that a lot of the parts were removed.

Another thought: Did this car come from Canada? I bought a rx-7 from Canada a few years back which had been damaged, potentially totaled, and repaired and not disclosed. When I imported into the US I did a Canadian property lien search, which apparently confirms ownership, but it had no record of the damage. Then I got a clear Nevada title.

I could see how a totaled car in Canada could be imported to the states with a "clean" title, repaired and then sold.

Yes, this car was owned here, wrecked here and sold to a guy in Florida. I didn't realize that the title doesn't carry wreck info. Thanks for the info.

wow what a great idiea larry i never thought of it that way Great thinking .if any one needs a bit of info ill help. i worked on the car a year before the crash....wayne5467

It sold for $25,100. Reserve was met.

I've sent a note to the buyer. Unfortunately, if he refuses to buy it, the second bidder may be approached and end up with it.

I received a note from the high bidder on #7001. Here it is:

quote:

Mark, thanks for the info. as I had recieved some from Hal also. I did go the 900 miles round trip to check on the unit and was supprised that it wasn't bent up or bondo'ed as suspected, and the frame seemed intact. The car was in a junk yard and had pieces missing, ran on 4 cyl., the eng. lid wouldn't open (probably the accident) and was basicly a real fixer upper. It has potential but not for the $ asked. I wasn't disclosed all the items missing and the crash as you guys had notified him about. He told me that he would go to the next bidder so I left and had a nice road trip with my brother. He is the one looking for a Pantera as I already have had mine for 12 years. Let me know if you run into a good deal on one.
Thanks again
Willie

Mark, I guess that my warning got the high bidder before yours but good for him to hear it from two different sources.

FYI for future potential buyers of this car. I also took a look at this car, and noticed a number of trouble spots. I only had a few minutes to look it over, and no one at the yard claimed to know anything about the car. The e-bay seller wasn't there.

-Driver's side front fender, near top of wheel well opening was wavy;
-Cracked filler was noticeable where windshield pillar meets top of drivers fender;
-Paint overspray was noticeable on windshield weatherstripping on drivers side;
-Driver's mirror was swapped out and 2 holes remained from the original mirror;
-Drivers rear quarter panel appeared pushed in at the body line & a silver-dollar sized piece of filler had cracked off exposing bare metal of the panel;
-Passengers rear quarter was wavy/bumpy at the body line;
-Front of passengers door and rear of passenger front fender had rust bubbles;
-Drivers fender side marker light missing lense--I know this is a simple item, but ya gotta wonder how it got damaged in the first place;
-On the inside the shifter emblem was gone and the shift gates had been cut out--thought that was different;
-Looking in the wheel wells and under the car you didn't see any obvious damage, but as mentioned everything was under-coated and the car is low to the ground;
-Tires, rims and exhaust looked good;
-Interior looked complete and in good condition.

I'm not an expert, and definitely not a Pantera expert, but I've been burned on used cars and have learned a few times the hard way, and usually signs of visible body work indicate alot more hiding underneath, or a best a crummy repair. Just an opinion.

quote:

Originally posted by rbamford:
FYI for future potential buyers of this car. I also took a look at this car, and noticed a number of trouble spots. I only had a few minutes to look it over, and no one at the yard claimed to know anything about the car. The e-bay seller wasn't there... I'm not an expert, and definitely not a Pantera expert, but I've been burned on used cars and have learned a few times the hard way, and usually signs of visible body work indicate alot more hiding underneath, or a best a crummy repair. Just an opinion.

It's way more than just an opinion, it's a fact! The car, in addition to the crash damage seen in the above photos, has serious rust issues that were discovered after the crash. They had been covered up by a previous owner and essentially the car is a rust-bucket (to quote the last Canadian owner). I hope that whoever ends up with this car knows completely what they're getting into.