Buy the right car.....even if it costs more initially....you'll be ahead in the long run...

I talk to so many people that make the wrong decision when buying or restoring a musclecar. Usually these are people who are not mechanics or bodymen by trade and they "bite off more than they can chew" and end up with a money pit that never gets done, or gets sold in disgust a year or two later.  Here's how to avoid this. # 1. I've said it before-but it needs to be said again. A special or rare car missing key components is not a deal at any price. Obvious examples would be any Hemi powered Chrysler vehicle without the Hemi engine, or a Boss 302 or 429 Mustang sans the "Boss" engine. You found an engineless Thunderbolt Fairlane in some hillbilly's barn for peanuts? Great-where in the hell are you going to find a running or at least rebuildable side-oiler 427 ??!! And at what price? Where are you going to find a complete fuel-injection system for a '57 Bonneville or '63 Corvette?  Where are you going to find a complete, Ram Air IV 400 Pontiac or SD-455 to put into that engineless GTO Judge or Trans-Am that you "stole?" A '69 Z/28-where are you going to find a 302 Chevy with the one year only "DZ" block? You could stuff a badass GMPP 350 crate motor in it, but that would piss off a lot of buyers if you ever wanted to sell it!  Let's say you find a really nice '65 Impala SS sans engine. Sure you could simply stuff a 350 or 454 crate motor into it, but that would detract from it's value to most people. Do you think you might have a bit of trouble locating a 327 or a 396 with 1965 date codes?  And that's a Chevy I'm talking about-god help you if your trying to find 390 AMC engine for an AMX!  # 2. Get the powertrain you want. I talked to a guy who had an L98 IROC-Z. That's the 350 'Vette engine backed by a TH700R4.  A buddy of his had an LB9 Trans-Am. The TPI 305 backed by a 5-speed stick. Even though the 350 / Automatic IROC-Z was faster in a drag race, he thought his pal's 305 / 5-speed T/A was much more fun to drive. He asked me how hard it would be to convert the IROC-Z to a stick. "Too hard, and too expensive" I said. I told him-if he really wanted a manual-trans Camaro or Firebird-the best thing to do would be sell his car and go buy one with a factory 5-speed. I told him he didn't have to limit himself to LB9 cars; that there are plenty of carburated LG4 and L69 305 F-Bodies with 5-speeds out there,and with very little work-an Edelbrock intake and a cat-back exhaust-could easily match or beat the L98's performance.  Don't fall into the buff magazine's "It's an easy conversion" trap. For a professional mechanic with $40,000 worth of tools in a state of the art shop, that may be true. For "Joe Average" with hand tools in his driveway, not so much. For example you get a screaming deal on a 318 / automatic powered '70 Challenger. You decide you'll just "drop" a 440 in it later. Really?  Because 1st off you'd need a big-block K-member, big-block torsion bars, heavier springs, a big-block radiator, a 727 trans ( a 904 won't bolt up to or hold up to a 440 ) and a new rear end. The 8.25 that comes with slant-six / 318 models won't do. You'll need an 8.75 at least. Then-the 440's been out of production for 41 years!! Where are you going to find one? And worse yet-all the brackets for the alternator, power steering pump, etc? The belt pulleys, the balancer?  It's a lot more trouble than just "dropping" an engine in!!  So don't buy a 350 Malibu with the intent of swapping a 454 into it.  If you want a big-block Chevelle, then step up and pay the price for an SS396 or 454.  Don't buy a 289 / 302 Cougar or Mustang and plan on swapping in a 351C or 390. Just get a 351C or 390 model to begin with.  # 3. Get the options you want. At least the major ones. Like front disc brakes, or power steering or air conditioning. Those factory options definitely add value and drivability. Other stuff-you can easily add a hood tach to any '60's GTO or Firebird. Spoilers, stripes, vinyl tops, different wheels, that stuff is easily added or removed. But trying to add disc brakes to something can be a real pain in the ass. On some cars you might need different spindles and different control arms.  # 4. Something with major rust issues or body damage or water or fire damage is not a deal at any price. They are endless money pits-because they are always in worse shape than they initially appear to be. Just spend more money and get a better car to start with. # 5. Don't get stuck on "Just as it left the Factory".  I'm not talking about modifying the engine here. Even if it's a 318 model- A bright red '69 Charger with a white interior and a white top and Magnum 500 wheels is way cooler and will sell for way more money ( if you do decide to sell it ) than an Olive-drab green one with green interior and dog-dish hubcaps, even thought it's "original".  A '78 Trans-Am painted white and blue like a "Macho T/A" with blue or black interior is way cooler and will sell for way more than a canary yellow one with red interior!! I hate the green and brown "earth tones" that GM was big on in the late '60's and early '70's. If you want to paint your car a non-stock color do it, or if you want bucket seats instead of a bench-by all means do it.  Good luck and I hope this saves some people from making a bad decision. Mastermind