[blubomber]

I'll concur with the comment that a fair assessment would have to have some pictures.

The big cars can be a great value if someone is looking to get into a classic car without wantingto spend the money on a Muscle car. These cars easy to work on, have a fair supply of parts to support any work you may need to do, and can easily be made to perfrom at any level you desire. Unfortuantely they will not bring the kind of money you see in the Muscle car arena. Hard tops are worth significantly less than convertibles.

Your best bet is to find the most solid car you can. One that does not need signficant body or fender work,if any. Seats and carpet are easily replaced so I would not let that be a major distractor. Engines are also easy to work on as long as the car was not mauled by a previeous owner.

As far as value it is difficult to pin point. Human emotion is always a consideration however the overall state of the economy has created a situation where far fewer have the luxury of a "toy." It is supply and demand. There are more cars available now and far lower demand therefore it's a buyers market.

I would pay more for a solid car though in order to not have to deal with repair issues which will quickly far surpass the savings you may have thought you were getting by buying the "cheapest" car.

Many guys seem to think that just because they put $20000 into a project that they are entitled to get thatout of it. Unfortunately the market doesn't care about that and right now it is a buyers market.

As far as value goes IMO a pristine '69 Bonneville convertible may get somewhere between $15K-20K. A 2 dr hardtop maybe half of that, a 4 door take off another
15-25 %.

You can add back on about 10% for a/c, 5-10% for a 428 HO, and 5-10% for well optioned or rare options.

Hope this helps. Send pictures and we may be able to help more.