Be honest with yourself about what you want and what your really going to do with the car....You'll be a lot happier!!

I talk to so many people who buy musclecars because of something a friend told them, or they read in a magazine and then their disappointed and either sell the car, or don't drive it much. Here's some good advice to help people avoid this pitfall. # 1. Be brutally honest about what your going to do with it. Is it going to be a Concours show car, are you going to run it in the Pure Stock drag races, or is it going to be a weekend cruiser?  Here's a perfect example-An Older gentleman I've known for years that always loved Corvettes bought an 11:1, 435 hp, solid-lifter,Tri-Power 427 / 4-speed, 4.11 geared 1969 Corvette convertible. He's disappointed that it pings even on premium with octane booster,the clutch is stiff,the engine buzzes at 3,500 rpm on the freeway and his wife burns her legs on the sidepipes every time she gets out of it. Why did he buy it? Because he has more money than brains. He wanted a convertible Stingray to cruise to Lake Tahoe and to the wine country on weekends. Now he'd be much happier with a 350 small-block L48 / TH350 model with 3.08:1 gears, or if he wanted a big block model-a low-compression, hydraulic-cammed, Q-jet carbed LS5 454 with either a 4-speed or a TH400 and 3.36:1 gears would have been a much more logical choice. Even a late-'70s model with T-tops would have served his purpose better. Luckily-since it was a pristine,desirable numbers-matching 427 model he was able to recoup his investment and on my advice is much happier with a low-mileage L48 / TH350 1978 Indy Pace Car edition with T-tops. He and his wife love it,it idles smooth and runs fine on 87 octane unleaded, the A/C blows cold, the cassette player has classic rock blasting out the t-tops and they take a fun road trip almost every weekend in the summer. But he  initially listened to other people who told him he should get the biggest,baddest, rarest model. Which brings up  # 2. Do you really want the Ultra-premium model, even if you can afford it? Think-do you really want a 1969-70 Boss 302 Mustang?  The high-compression, solid-lifter engine has very little torque below 3,000 rpm. There's a reason they were only available with a 4-speed and 3.90:1 or 4.30:1 gears!!  Most people would be much happier with a Mach 1 with the standard 351W / 351C, which is a much better street engine anyway-if your going to drive the car at all. And that's where most people screw up-there so enamored of "Resale Value"-honestly-is the primary factor in buying anything-a car, motorcycle, boat,handgun or rifle, set of golf clubs, a guitar, whatever-what it's going to be worth when you decide to get rid of it?  So you sink your life savings into a Hemi 'Challenger. And it sits in your garage and is only driven on and off the trailer or to "Show&Shines". The engine never sees the high side of 3,000 rpm because your so damnded afraid of blowing it up or wrecking it, that you can't enjoy it. Now wouldn't you be happier in a 340 or 383 model that you could pop the clutch on, smoke the tires and bang through the gears once in a while? Or take a 200 mile Sunday day trip in or a 1,000 mile trip re-tracing "Kowalski's" last ride in "Vanishing Point?" So you REALLY "Need" a Fuel-Injected Split-Window 1963 Stingray? Wouldn't a carburated 327 model up to '66 be just as much fun? Again probably more, because you'd drive it more and not worry about "damaging it".   Do you really "Gotta Have" an LS6 Chevelle? Wouldn't you have more fun in an SS396 that was less than half the price? Don't you think the guy who drag races his 400, 4-speed, WS6 1978 Trans-Am every weekend is having way more fun than the guy who looks at his 1973 SD-455 T/A in his garage because he's afraid of putting too many miles on it or wrecking it or blowing the engine?  Who's the true Pontiac Performance enthusiast?  # 3. Consider carefully the options that you do or don't want. People never think of this. For example-if your going to drive the car at all and you live in a major city that has a lot of traffic-an automatic may be a much better choice than a 4-speed. Do you really want to shift a "Rock-Crusher" through rush-hour traffic in San Francisco or Los Angeles?  If you live where it gets really hot in the summer, I'd certainly look for a car with factory A/ C.  A couple I knew bought a '57 Pontiac-mainly because they couldn't afford a '57 Chevy. They didn't like it because it had no power-the 347 2bbl V8 was a dog in the heavy car-it had no power steering,no power brakes, and a 3-on-the-tree manual trans. On my advice-I told them how great '60's Pontiacs were- they sold it and bought a 1962 Gran Prix. They absolutely loved the G/P. It had power steering and power brakes, comfortable bucket seats, an automatic transmission, and the 4bbl 389 would smoke the tires at will. Amazing at what just 5 years of evolution did. # 4. Just buy the car you want-it's easier and cheaper in the long run. I know a guy who bought a 1988 IROC-Z Camaro. It had the Corvette L98 350 / 700R4 powertrain. It was a nice car, and it was fast for being bone-stock. His buddy had a 1989 Formula Firebird with the LB9 305 / T5 five-speed combo. Even though the Camaro was faster in a drag race-he liked his buddy's car better because the stick was much more fun to run through the gears. He started asking me what it would cost to put a stick in the Camaro. I told him it was possible, but it would cost so much and be such a pain in the ass that he'd be better off just selling his car and using the money to buy another Camaro or Firebird with a 5-speed already in it. Another guy I know-a Mopar fan-passed up a gorgeous 1971 Dodge Demon-it had a great red and white striped paint job, a flawless white interior,the "Go-Wing" spoiler,Cragar mags with new BFG T/A radials and a healthy 340 with a 4-speed. Instead he bought a drab brown 383 automatic '70 Road Runner because his "expert" buddy told him the B-bodies were worth way more than the Duster / Dart series. Every time he saw the red Demon crusing around he'd say-"Damn!" I should have bought that." "That is a cool little car." Yes, you should have, instaed of listening to your moron buddy.  # 5. Be honest about your mechanical capabilities. Unless you are a bodyman by trade, I would avoid any car with major body or frame damage. It's just too expensive to fix. 99% of the time a "deal" isn't a deal-your better off spending a little more money and just getting a better car to start with. The same goes for mechanics. Magazine writers flippantly spout about something being a "Bolt-in" swap. Have you ever changed an engine in a car before?  Have you bought a short-block or a long block and changed the valve covers, timing cover, oil pan,intake and exhaust manifolds,fuel pump, water pump,belt pulleys, and all the wiring? Especially if changing from a small-block to a big block. Besides the motor mounts you may need a bigger radiator or heavier springs, and a heavier-duty transmission or rear end. Making a 318 'Cuda into a 440 clone? That's easy, right? After you get a big-block crossmember,larger torsion bars,swap the 8/14 rear for an 8/34 or Dana 60,swap the 904 Torqueflite for a 727, change the rear trans mount, shorten the driveshaft and change the yokes,get a bigger radiator....See what I'm saying?  Even people who buy the car they want still screw them up because they over-estimate their mechanical abilities. I see this especially with multi-carb setups. Doesn't matter if it's a Hemi 'Cuda, a 409 Impala, a Tri-Power GTO, a Six-Pack Road Runner, whatever-they all make the same mistake. They never drive the car, or if they do they drive like grandma on prozac-it never even sees 4,500 rpm-much less 5,500 or 6,000 because their so goddamnded afraid of blowing it up. Then, the second it fouls a spark plug-they start screwing around with the carburators. Pretty soon it won't even start. A better solution if it's going to sit a lot-is to go a range or two hotter on the plugs for low-speed, short town trips. If you decide to take a road trip or go to the drags-changing to the recommended heat range plug is easy. And like the GTO song says-once in a while you need to "Turn it on, wind it up, blow it out". Like I said-you don't have to redline it and powershift-but a good full-throttle run up the freeway for a few miles once a month will go a long way to keeping it in good tune. If you don't know carburators-find a reputable shop that does and pay them for the tune and weld the hood shut! You'll be better off in the long run.  Mastermind