ok well today i found the car i wanted since i was 18.. 72 240.. sitting in a lot.. with 2 flat tires no motor and the thing filled with old parts from the shop it was sitting at.. so yeah this thing is trashed.. from the outside it actually looks really good.. the dash was almost mint.. but the seats and the rest of the interior where ****ed..

so look at the important part.. the underside and rails.. well the rails are shot i think.. and one spot it was broken.. the floor pans where very soft and rusty..

so yeah from afar it looks pretty good shape (for a junker that is)

anyway i asked the guy at the shop about it and i guess it was an old employes and didnt know what he wanted for it.. he asked what i wanted to offer but i didnt know what i should, wanted to do some research first..

anyway.. what would be a safe offer? i mean.. it needs a complete resto.. i really dont want to pay much for it.. im sure there is more out there with less rust so maybe should i just move on? even if i should look for a better doner this thing would probably be worth while to get for parts as the bodys in good shape..

anyway to make a short story long what should i pay...

and what would be too much to even consider?

thanks for any advice guys

For a rust bucket basket case, $300 max! If he wants more move on. You can pickup a complete running car in bad shape but running for about $400-500.

Good luck.

Cars in this condition are a major Pain in the A$$ as they need so much work to revive them, unless you buy it as a project knowing that it will take THOUSANDS of dollars and months/YEARS to make it a nice car. I would walk away and find something in better shape to start with. The less work a car needs, the better off you will be down the road. If thisis the best car you can afford, wait, save your money, and make your life easier.

thanks for the pricing ED that sounds about right to me.. that seems fair..

and Bam.. i hear you.. i have been thinking that aswell.. see I have never done a full resto before and i want to give it a try.. Ive never done this much metal work before.. im worried i may be getting in over my head.. I dont mind spending lots of time.. moneys not too big of an issue either (not that i have any:cry:) its more just for the project i guess..

see i would like to get something that i dont need to replace the rails.. but it seems like with these cars you pretyt much always do.. unless your shelling out thousands.. then im just buying someone else's project.. and like i said.. its more about me building something and learning as much as i can than just having a nice car..

Originally posted by StinkyFatPig

................see i would like to get something that i dont need to replace the rails.. but it seems like with these cars you pretyt much always do.. unless your shelling out thousands.. then im just buying someone else's project.. and like i said.. its more about me building something and learning as much as i can than just having a nice car..

Just realized you are in Canada. unrusted Z cars certainly may be difficult to find up there. As long as you understand that it will cost major money and major time to learn how to do it all on a full resto; AND you don't exxpect to work on it for a few weeks then be able to use it........jump on in.... with eyes wide open.

BUT rule #1 is always start low and bid higher if necessary. If the car doesn't belong to the land owner where it's stored, offer $100. He may be motivated by the landowner to get it outta there and take the money.

Rule #1A Don't expect to "make" any money on the car.

Take Bambikillers advice..buy the best car you can afford. If this is all you can shell out, then you can't afford a zed. Restoring a car in this condition requires a lot of time, skill and money. I'm not saying that restoration is not a worthwhile process, but when there would be cars out there requiring far less work than this one, you might as well go down that path - it's not as though the cars are super-rare or anything. It'll also cost you a lot more.

Hang out at this site, cars pop-up all the time. Regulars (like Ed and Bambikiller) tend to hear about cars that are for sale that are not advertised here.

Why not buy one you can do a rolling-restoration on? You can enjoy the car whilst fixing it up that way..

without a motor you also have to consider how to get it to your garage , towing and getting temporary tires on it and the money spent doing that, i think I would start at the 100-150 range , i think you can buy alot more car for a few hundred more and might be a better investment , at 700 to a grand you get alot more car to start with , and EXPECT to spend alot more than you plan , anything 30 years plus has issues even worse when its in the shape you describe, good luck

I agree with the rust replacement issues, but, this may be a good find as a parts car Since Zs are rare in your neck of the woods, never let a donor car get away without finding how little it will take to claim the parts. Really go over the car for good parts, and figure out what they would cost to have brought in to get a good idea of a limit to the cars value. If it looks good from outside, you probably have some good body panels-and they could cost several hundred dollars to replace. With them and a good dash, you probably have more than $300 in value, but follow Carls' advice, start low and move up as needed.

Ask anyone who works on their own Z and has had it a while how many boxes of spare parts they have, if the answer is less than 5, either they are lying, or they store parts in cars!

Will

yeah taking what you think it will cost and doubling it is probably a pretty good advice..

ok guys.. you got me thinking.. I dont think he even knows how bad it is.. like i said it looks good, but when you take a look underneath and the rails broken and $^!# you know it needs major work.. maybe ill offer him a bill just too see what he says tell him about the rails etc.. and im sure 100 bucks is atleast worth it as a parts car..

as for "rolling resto" I have tried that in the past.. and you can just never get it as good as you want it.. with this project i want to take it down to hte frame and work my way up and do it the right way..

I dont want something that im going to be daily driving.. I want to get something this summer and HOPEFULLY have it complete by next summer.. dont really know if thats realistic.. but you know

Depending on the condition of the parts it might be worth it. An uncracked dash must be worth at least that? That's if it's not a dash cap! Why not take a few photos and post them here? The boys will soon notice every detail regarding your "investment".

Sounds like somebody is calling the Z police!

ROFL

Will

Do I shine a spotlight in the sky with the blackened shape of zed in the middle?