Just be sure you have Mom on board with the deal! When folks ask what my car cost, I say "A three bedroom brick home and twelve years of child support!"
I emailed the seller today. Seems he bought it in 1979 and it had 26,000 miles at the time (in only 5 years!!) -- he has only put 11,000 on in the last 25 years. What scares me is there has been nothing major done to it -- no engine rebuilt, no tranny rebuild, no bushings, etc. At about 38,000 miles this car is probably gonna need all of that, at the tune of $15-20k?? Not sure I'm guessing on that cost, prob more really. He refused to tell me his reserve (never understood why, knowing a reserve doesn't do anything to hurt his auction!). I'm in Vegas this week and was going to fly over to LA to check it out but he wouldnt tell me the reserve so there was no point in that. I head back to Virginia on Monday. Oh well, my guess is his reserve is something crazy like $80-90k, add $20k of service in the near horizon and you're up to $110k for a high-ish mileage decent condition *White* Dino GTS... Think I'll pass!
They are not that needy as far as engine rebuilds. You could probably do major on it and be okay with just belts (or chains?). Do the suspension when you get time. I've never understood the Dino market, cause when they were trying to sell 'em new they were SLOW selling. That's why I ended up with an early 308GTB I guess. There was a beutiful blue one posted last week, sometimes unusual colors look good, sometimes not. White tends to wash out the lines of the car IMO.
Yup I was the one that posted that blue one, I made an offer of $62k (up from original offer of $57k and asking price of $68k) but they would only come down to $66.5. Had a PPI on it and it needs some (only about $2k) mech work, but would take a good amount to get the interior back up to par. I'll keep looking unless they come back and accept my standing $62k offer...
Man! THAT"s got to be frustrating, only $6K spread to do the deal! For my money I'd take the blue one! I saw a little rough in the interior. What else was wrong??
I'm HAPPY!, almost all the time! That's why my car is the same color as a happy face! I'm just trying to buy another one for the days I'm in a BAD mood.
Actually we're only $4.5k apart, but I came up $5k from my original offer and they only came down $1,500. The bushings need to be redone, oil temp guage is broken, window latch broken, nothing else significant mechanically. Some minor stuff. Tires are wrong and need to be replaced with Michelin's, interior is a bit worn and would prob need $5-8k to make it perfect. Also missing the folder for the manuals (about $500 on ebay). I think $62k is a very fair offer as I'd have to put around $10-$12k into it to make it close to concourse quality, which would bring me up to $74k -- which I think I could buy a concourse quality GT or a nice GTS for. If I start at $66.5 then I'm nearing $80k for a GT when all is said and done! It is a beauty though, so I hope they come around. But I've been searching for a Dino for 3 or so years now so I won't rush into anything. Scott
I can't get over the white.... I think I will keep looking. Thanks for all of the feedback....of course if the reserve lifts at 45 or so.....hmmmm
I agree that white is not the best color for the Dino. The dark blue or the ruby red are my two favorites. Although a white Dino did look pretty good while winning the 1975 Cannonball Run. I think Jack May was the owner/driver of that car. Good luck in your search. I spent 2 years looking for my Dino and am finally at the end of a 3 year restoration.
