Should I buy this Pantera?

.....

Front

Motor

Interior

Rear

Trunk

Trans

paint damage

Tough call. I think it's a decent deal overall. Clearly the prior owner cared very much for it and had done a lot to it. It's a real shame it's been stored in such an exposed way the last several years apparently. There's no question you will have rust issues as a result, even if it's not yet obvious from the body. But most Panteras do (not all those owners know it either). Honestly, I bet you can get it running pretty well pretty quickly, assuming the motor and tranny move freely. You'll want to flush fluids, grease, replace belts and hoses and such before you do much going fast. Even then, some other issues may come to light. Normally I would recommend paying more and getting a nicer specimen. But overall this one sounds pretty reasonable IF the drivetrain and the electricals are sound, especially if you can do some work yourself. Make sure you can do the body/paint work or can spend another $4,000 plus for it (way more if you have someone disassemble everything for the paint job it really deserves). Plus some reupholstery and tires, and I doubt the AC compressor seals are still good. Just be aware you could have $30K or more in it pretty quickly. But you don't have to do all that immediately. Good luck with your decision.

Bob, What are your intentions with the car? If it will run, I would take a good long hard look at the transaxle and how it shifts. If it misses a beat at all I would lean toward believing it will need some $$.

I don't see any corner or part that isn't going to need work. Based on that the only way I personally would see it worth near 20K would be if the ZF was a fresh overhaul and if you were looking for a car to do a total tear down and restoration.

That's just me.

G

I agree with Button Door. This is a "do it yourselfer" kind of car. It is recommended to buy the best Pantera you can afford or you can end up invested pretty fast and heavy in a project like this. Definately check out the engine and transaxle those are big ticket as is rust. Good luck in your decision and keep us posted with what you find.

I see nothing in the photos that would stop me from buying it as a project car. It really depends upon the condition of the motor, trans & how much (if any) rust damage there is.

Keep in mind that Pantera restoration & modification is more costly than a muscle car or a sport compact.

If rust is minimal, and you really want a project car, offer $15K and see what they say.

good luck

I planned on it being a project car. I hoped to get it for 17K and put another $15K into it.

My father builds race motors, so I will get a solid rebuild (or new motor) for a fair price.

I also have a good connection for body and paint and will be tearing it down for them.

I can do "remove and replace" work such as interior.

Robert

I think your deffinantly in the ballpark. You will have a lot of work ahead of you. At least in 10 years it will be worth more.

In today's market and at $17K I think this looks like a reasonable project for someone with the aptitude to do much of their own work, or as you suggest 'know a man that can' for some of the stuff that is beyond the average garage mechanics ability or more often resources.

My question is do you want a GT4 conversion? If the answer is 'yes' then this looks a good place to start. If not, then restoring this one back to original would take a lot of work and $$.

From the pictures it would appear the previous owner put some effort and thought into this car. S/S firewall, lay-down radiator & Flexalite sucker fans etc. It would be worth taking a knowledgeable Pantera owner with you to inspect the car and determine what other unseen upgrades there may be. This will aid in both gaining some insight into the previous owner and also help determine a value for the car. For instance the wheels do not look like Campi's (which could value as much as $3K for the 13's and 10's width), more like a painted steel rim.

There is one burning question that remains in my mind, which is whether the flares are steel or fiberglass? You would have to place more value on steel ($1750 just for the flares, without mounting etc.) vs. fiberglass that can be had for ~$400. The work involved in the steel flares is significantly more complex, but the front fender crack you show leads me to think they are fiberglass.

If it were me I would be very tempted to take this car 'as is' and not have someone quickly try and get it running and/or moving. To my mind more damage than good could ensue from that because if it has been stood as long as the photos would indicate there may be internal surface rust and/or seized rings etc. The oil in both the engine and ZF will have been sitting at the bottom for all that time. I would take it home, tear it down and send the ZF to a reputable Pantera vendor for inspection and rebuild. The motor may need nothing more than strip down, clean and reassembly at this point.

I've probably used up my 2 cents plus some change, all that remains to say is "Good Luck" with whatever you decide to do.

Julian

It is highly unlikely that you will find another in this good a condition for this kind of money.
Do you need to put money into it? You sure do.

How much? Alot. Even if you do it yourself.

You may get lucky and find that it is just one heck of a heavy duty paint job. Being it a Pantera, that seems very unlikely, but hey, you never know.

But if you let it go by you will never know for sure.

Please let us know if you do not buy the car, maybe one of us would like to buy it, thanks

Julian (and all),

Great feedback everyone. Here are a few answers to questions:

Julian - yes I am SPECIFICALLY looking for a GT4. I like the look, and I would never have the guts to cut up a stock car.

You are correct, the wheels are crap. I took that into account.

I was bummed to find out the flairs are glass, but they seem to be in great shape.

I think you are right. It may be better to take it "as-is" and have it gone through before doing any real driving. I did want to fire it up just to make sure it actually runs...is that a bad idea?

With flat tires there is no way I can get a feel for the condition of the transmission is there?

Robert

Robert,

For the transmission all you can really do is jack up the rear end and spin the wheels by hand. If you can get someone to depress the clutch pedal (this is assuming the pressure plate isn't seized to the flywheel and the brakes are not binding) then they could just run through the gears, feeling for effort in gear selection and function turning the wheels by hand.

It doesn't count for much, because most issues won't show up under 'no load' but at least gives you piece of mind the transmission has basic rotational functionality through the gears. Count on at least $2500 just to open it up for a prognosis and to check the ring gear is safety wired.

The general concensus is it's a good buy at $17K. As you want a GT4 anyway there's a personal plus for you that makes it more appealing.

If and when you get stuck, there's always plenty of advice here on the PIBB and there are members in the Vegas area. I hope to see you at the POCA Annual Rally in Vegas come April.

Julian