[Masaki]

I’ve been saving money, ideas change…, won’t be selling my Lemans. But I need something else to fix my boredom. The body work on the Lemans is in process, and the motor will be put on a hold. Until then, I have caught my eye on a neighboring 68 firebird near my area. It’s not “for sale” but it’s been sitting in the driveway of a home for many years. I’ve never spoken to the owner about the vehicle, but I am wanting to know what a decent 68 firebird would sell for? I’m 16 and looking for a decent deal. I was thinking around 8-10k. Not sure if it has a motor(hopefully a 327/350) but the paint Is flawless. The guy washes it when it starts to build up pollen and moss. It has chrome 5 spoke cragar style wheels. And that’s about all I know about it. I don’t want to intrude his privacy and walk onto his property and peek into his car. Should I try and talk to him about it? Or is it better left alone? Any help with pricing or what I should try would be greatly appreciated!!!




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[Trulyvintage]

At 16, you must have a lot of money to be
considering taking on another project.
If you have the money and the time and
the work space to do that - good for you.


Jim
.

[Cliff R]

I seen scores of vehicles like that in my time, and never once could the owner be talked into even thinking about selling it. Most were in yards or sitting behind shops or garages.

The few times I've been brave enough to make contact with the owner or person at the residence I got the SAME story. No, it's NOT for sale and I or we are going to "restore" it one day.

Ten, fifteen, or twenty years later after the same vehicle had rust holes in it big enough to stick your head thru, and it had sank into the ground about three feet, you'd get the SAME answer from the owner.

It's something I've NEVER been able to figure out because EVERYTHING here is for sale, at the right price. The wife is by far and above the BEST deal on my property.....................because in a week you'll pay me MORE money to take here back!........LOL......

[GTO-relic]

you can thank Barrett Jackson and Mecum auctions for that.
where millionaires pay each other much more than cars are really worth,
and now the drones with a Lemans think it's worth $30k with no floors, trunk, or engine in it.

[jhein]

I agree with Cliff. I've done that a couple times and same results as he described. And the fact that this particular owner actually still takes some degree of care of the car makes it even less likely. Most people with cars that are rotting still won't let them go. OTOH, wouldn't hurt to ask. Unless he's a psycho the worst that will happen is he'll say no. If he is psycho, then he may kill you and eat your liver.

I don't know about value but if it has flawless paint and assuming it runs and drives, I'd think quite a bit more than 10K.

[JLBIII]

Looks like it's a '68 so it would be a 350 if it has a V8. If the owner is keeping it clean he obviously cares about the car. You might want to approach the owner as an enthusiast and talk to him about your car and plans and maybe get some info on his car and plans for it. If you have some Pontiac apparel like a hat, sweatshirt, etc. wear that. That's started a lot of good conversations for me. Good luck!

[scott70]

Can’t hurt to ask. Even if he doesn’t want to sell to you you might enjoy to talk to the person as you probably you have at least one common interest.

[kingbuzzo]

Looks like a fun car but hopefully not packing a chebby lol

Doesn't hurt to ask the guy. That way if he is ever in a position that he has to sell her he knows who to call - maybe he doesn't even know what she's worth!

Pricing is hard and all over the map. Anywhere between 5k and 30k depending what she needs.

I don't know about you but I can't afford one project nevermind two...lol

Good luck!

[b-man]

As already said it doesn’t hurt to ask.

Often when something isn’t for sale when they do finally relent after several inquiries the price is never cheap. At first glance I’d say 15k would be the starting price point for that Firebird.

A friend of mine from high school auto shop bought a 1966 VW pickup back when old VWs hadn’t really begun to catch on yet. He saw it sitting at the side of someone’s house and asked about it. Not for sale.

Eventually he was able to buy it for the ‘not for sale’ price of $2500 which was a lot of money in 1976 and pretty close to what the truck had sold for new in 1966. It was in exceptional condition for a 10 year old pickup truck.

After owning it for 9 years he was moving on to another project and I purchased it for $3400 after he had finished restoring it which was pretty much top of the market for these in 1985, I still have it.

First pic is how it looked when I bought it in 1985, next two how it looks now after I lowered it not long after I bought it and put different wheels on it and finally how it looked not long after my friend bought it in 1976. He put stock wheels and tires on it replacing some ill-fitting custom wheels it came with, not long after he welded in some new rear wheel openings which had been cut out to fit the custom wheels which was a common mod back then.

[tooski]

I am currently driving my AZ project. I bought it in '82. for $150 CDN (It was in bad shape). Started the restomod 30 years later. I lived in a residential neighbourhood. I did not have garage nor driveway space, so it sat in the street in front of my house with one tire flat. (Once I even got a ticket for 'illegal' parking). After a few guys approached me asking if it's for sale, I put a for sale sign on it with a ridiculous price on it. No more inquiries after that.

[Joe's Garage]

If the owner advertised it for sale - barring some major defects - it would sell for somewhere between $15k and $20k.

And, because he still sort of takes care of it, he's most likely not interested in selling.

With that said, I've approached people in a similar situation before and almost always been turned away. But I have made a few friends that way.

Kinda like I turn away people who approach me about the old Chevy trucks sitting in my yard. 'Thanks for asking, but no'.

I'm fairly friendly unless they act like a 'car flipper'. Got no use for those folks.....

The idea to wear some Pontiac 'bling' if you ring the doorbell is a good one. If you or someone you know owns a classic-but-drivable Pontiac, it would be another potential plus to show up in it.

Good luck!

[prostreet64]

Good suggestions. There is a 1971 442 parked under an open shed about 5 blocks over from my house. My wife and I see it everyday when we ride by on our bikes. It is covered in dust and has not moved in at least 20 years. My grandson who is 19 now took an interest in it several years ago. I suggested he try to contact the owner and take the approach of someone with an interest in muscle cars rather than someone interested in buying it. He did knock on the door about 6 months ago but even though he could hear voices inside no one came to the door. Maybe they didn't hear or they may be reluctant to open their door to a stranger. Anyway, I hope he will try again; you never know what might happen.

[locomotivebreath]

Most are very unrealistic on what they have vs actual condition and their actual abilities both financial and mechanical . People see a car on the tv auction for go for 100k and they think that their pile with a blown drivetrain and no floor pans has to be worth close that if they clean up . After all , it still has the original spare .

[TAKerry]

If you have saved 8-10k at 16, 1.Great for you!! 2. Invest it in AI stock instead of an old car. If your investment is sound you will be able to retire comfortable at 35 years old and buy any car your heart desires. I wish someone would have given me this advice when I was your age!!! I have been telling my son the same thing for the last 15 years but he is stubborn.
I see so many cars go for sale with less than 1,000 miles. They get top dollar but when you do the current currency exchange they really only sell for what they originally cost or maybe a little over. Originally the buyers were keeping them low miles and original as an investment over time. If they had bought the equal amount in Amazon or gold the return would have been 1,000 times!!
Just something to think about.

[mgarblik]

If you are really serious about the car, you need to make an attempt to talk to the owner about it or 30 years from now you will be talking about "that 68 Firebird that got away" and I always wanted it. At 16 years old, you may feel like you shouldn't confront the owner directly. If you don't want to knock on the door, consider writing him a note/letter explaining that you are a vintage Pontiac owner yourself and noticed his Firebird. Also that you would like to talk to him about it. Stick the note in his mailbox or in his front door. Who knows what will happen.