Like the Smokey Robinson classic-"You better shop around!"

   Prices on musclecars can vary widely, and I'm not talking about the difference between a Trans-Am and a Formula 400, or a Shelby Mustang and a Mach 1. I'm talking apples to apples, the exact same car. Believe me the prices can still vary by a huge amount, and the condition or mileage of the car doesn't necessarily reflect a higher or lower price.  During the last "Hot August Nights" festival a guy was trying to sell a freshly restored 1970 Boss 302 Mustang for $75,000.  The car was awesome. It looked like it had been kept in a climate-controlled time capsule, or that every nut and bolt on it had been replaced or refurbished. I'm sure the latter was the case. However the car didn't sell, and the owner was gravely disappointed. The reason it didn't sell? Two other Boss 302s went through the same auction, and did sell. The blue one-or excuse me-"Calypso Coral" model sold for $44,500. That's thirty grand less!!  That's the price of a new truck to tow it home with!! And the one for 45 grand looked just as good as the other one that was priced at 75. The paint was flawless, the interior had no cracks in the dash or rips in the seats, all the equipment (down to the california smog pump) seemed to be correct. The other Boss 302 was a Hugger Orange model, and it was rougher than the other two. By rougher, I mean it was probably driven or raced regularly, as opposed to garaged and trailered like the other two. The front seats showed signs of wear, the paint was a little oxydized, and it had numerous "parking lot" chips and such on the body. But it was all there, and the engine ran good. And the price it sold for was $32,000!!  A steal if you ask me. At the same auction a guy was trying to get $24,000 for a low-mileage 1979 10th Anniversary Pontiac Trans-Am. It was a 403 Olds/Automatic model. The same day a 400, 4-speed, WS6 10th Anniverary T/A sold for $14,000. That's 10 grand less, for the better car! If I remember correctly the 403/slushbox model had 30,000 miles on it, and the 400/4-speed one had 67,000 miles on it. Otherwise, they were both in excellent condition. However, any Pontiac collector will tell you that a 400/4-speed late '70's T/A is worth way more than a 403 Olds/Automatic version, all other things being equal. At this same auction two 1964 Olds Cutlasses came through. One was a pristine F85 coupe, with the 330 V8/ Super Turbine 300 automatic ( The BOP two-speed "Powerglide" ) combo, and bucket seats, console, loaded. It sold for $6,500. The other had a later-model "unoriginal" 350 Olds engine in it, and it was only "driver" quality much like the previously mentioned Boss 302,-but it was a 442, with a four-speed!!. It sold for $3995!!  In my mind, I'd rather have a 4-speed 442 than a "powerslide" F85 any day of the week. For "Restifying" purposes you could swap in a 455 Olds and make it really badass. Or, if you wanted it original, a 1963-67 330 Olds engine is not a moon rock like a Boss 429 Ford or 426 Hemi Mopar! And on the resale market, numbers-matching engine or not, a 4-speed 442 is always going to be worth more than an automatic F85!  So who made the "better" deal?  The bottom line is do your research and don't lay down for the first car you see. You may save big bucks, and get a better car.  Mastermind