YES!! A REAL PANTERA IN THE BARN PURCHASE OPPORTUNITY

I would guess around $7K-$12k without seeing it.

Don, if you post some detailed photos, you will get a flood of responses form a bunch of VERY knowledgeable people. The price should be fairly low in the condition you state. Just add up all the time and expense to get the car restored to where you want it and see what the cost/value is (including a sensible labour rate) and then compare that to the "market" price for a good Pantera (in the 40—60 range). Good luck, and welcome. Hope it all works out for you and the car.

Assuming that the engine and ZF are OK knowledgeable buyers will want to assess the condition of the body. If you decide to post pictures I recommend trying to take detailed close ups in areas that typically harbor rust. Also, mice portend potential electrical problems as they have a tendency to chew wiring. I agree the average price for a Pantera in need of serious TLC is about $10K. However, if your body is decent and the wiring hasn't been affected you may be looking into the high teens possibly low 20's if it cleans up well. Paint is another issue. Depending on the quality of the paint job and condition of body this can be the new Pantera owner's biggest surprise expense! In additon, be sure to check the upholstery for infestation. You'll likley have to tear most of it out. Mice love to get under and into the seats. With some cars there's a point of no return in terms of restoration. Mid 70's Trans Ams are a good example. Panteras, for the main part, seem to have breached that threshold. When restored you have to consider whether or not you want to be upside down in the investment or are just happy to have a nice car. Panteras can be a safe buy in my opinion. Wes

Hey guys...Thank you for the quick response.....I would not pay over 10K for what I have seen so far.....If (when) I get a YES, I will take pics and post them.....

Don,

Internet geography wise I am "just up the street" from you. Without seeing pictures it's hard to tell, but the "broken frame/chassis above the right rear wheel" could be an indication of a serious rust issue, or is it as simple as a broken spreader bar mount? Assuming it has minimal rust issues, the price depends on what the car is worth to you!. Since a bare metal paint job is needed, entire cooling system replaced, and mice induced electrical gremlins fixed, plan on setting aside $25K to get it back where it belongs.

I don't think that there is a $10000 Pantera. If it is complete and not wrecked then it is worth more then that in parts. The glass and transmission alone make it worth somewhere around there.
If you do all the work yourself, $25000 is a conservative estimate as to what will go into it.
I would presume that you value your own time at more then $10 per hour.
I would guess that if the seller was really hard up and wanted to dump the car you are in the high teens if not $20k.
If you are going to tell me that the numbers just don't add up, that this car is going to require a $50k effort to make it worth $35,000, then you are understanding the problem.
The market is going to have to do something like double itself in order to make saving these cars financially feasable.
Of course many decisions are made with the heart rather then the head. That probably accounts for why so few cars are actually on the road.
You are also going to have to deal with the insurance issue.
Panteras have this little problem of having $35,000 to $50,000 fender benders.
If the accident was a Mustang, even a classic one, it would be a $3500 issue. Try x10 on a Pantera.

Doug, you are a smart man. You have the P-market figured out. It is down right silly isn't it???

quote:

Originally posted by DeTom:
Doug, you are a smart man. You have the P-market figured out. It is down right silly isn't it???

Silly isn't the word. Ridiculous is closer.

quote:

Originally posted by Mark:
WOW not over 10K??? You might want to rethink that number.

I am only saying that because I have seen "driver" panteras on the market for low 20k's. I would not spend $15k for a car that doesn't start/ mouse nests in the inside/broken frame/ peeled paint/ripped interior/ bald tires/ rusted wheels.......you get the picture. I realize that the parts alone make it worth a good chuck of change, but I think the he would rather not deal with trying to sell the car on the open market, when his brother in law could just pull up with a car trailer and cash. Either way I will probably find out in the next week or 2

Be carefull on what you ask for, sometimes you get it.

Don's right. I just bought a late 72L with only 27500 miles that had not been driven in 10 years, fresh motor done in the last year with 5 miles on it driving it home from the mechanics shop and I am amazed all the bits and pieces that when you get right down to it, have to be disassembled and greased, replaced, or massaged. Everything has to be gone through and my car was covered and well taken car of by the original owner. Non-usage, I think, is far worse than mild use because everything rots, cracks or rusts.

Bev Hall (Hall Pantera's) suggested that I pay an extra $10,000 and buy a car that had been upgraded and massaged by it's previous owner who. Many of us will invest $10-50K in upgrades and will only recover 10-20% of that if we are lucky...I did not follow Bev Halls advise, but sometimes wish I had. It took me 5 days of searching just to find the RIGHT thermostat for the cleveland, and that is nowhere near the kind of project you are contemplating. There are some reasonable prices out there and you really should consider... how much time it will take to restore the car...it you think it will take an hour for a project, triple that at least.

Good luck.

Oh by the way, becoming a Pantera owner brings you into one of the best group of car guys you will EVER know. I am a newbie Panter Owner and before and after I bought my car I had questions and no matter what the subject, when I post to this and other forums I will get between two and ten responses from very knowledgable guys who have been there done that and trouble shoot or make suggestions on where to get parts, how to do the project etc. My learning curve has been shortened considerable by them. Every day I am amazed by what is posted on personal websites or web forums such as this...before I tackle a project, I go to the web. The Pantera community is really great! You being a car guy will really enjoy Pantera ownership. I hope this deal works out well for you.

From what I have seen it takes a min of $15k to buy a complete solid car not running that needs everything re-done. That seems to be the base for a solid car in need of restoration.

Good luck. Being biten by the Pantera bug has two sides to it. There is just as much good as there is bad. Pantera is like a ying-yang thingie ma bob. You know, balanced and all mystical like.

One of the best pieces of Pantera buying advice I ever read (I can't remember the author) was: "Sit down and figure out what the maximum amount is you can spend on a Pantera purchase........and buy one that is $10K beyond that". In my opinion, that holds true. There seems to be a point, price wise that is, that for every $10K increase in price, it cost at least $15K to get it there.