Go ahead and love your "Factory Freak"....Just don't expect the rest of us to!!

I got some hate mail over the last couple of posts from people who owned these weird cars. If you like it,great. I'm sure somewhere there's someone who loves their Edsel or Nash Metropolitan!!  When I worked at an Import / Specialty / Performance store we had a lot of customers hot-rodding VW engines for dune buggys and sand rails,guys restoring old Porsches and Datsun 240Z's,a lot of people doing British sports cars-MG's and MGB's,Triumph Spitfires and TR4's and TR6's. All noble pursuits if that's what floats your boat. We also had a few people who were upset that we couldn't find parts for a Morris Minor or a Renault Caravelle!! There's a reason for that-no one besides that one person gave a shit in hell about a Morris Minor or a Renault Caravelle!!!  No one made any replacement parts because there was no demand!!  Anyhow-"Rare" doesn't automatically mean "Valuable". Is the 301 powered Trans-Am and 305 powered Corvette I mentioned in the last post worth more than a 455HO T/A or an LT1 Stingray? There's fewer of the 301 / 305 models so they must be more valuable right?  No!!  All these weird combos-two-speed automatics, three-speed sticks,column-shifted bucket seat cars, bench seat 4-speed cars,two-barrel step-down engines,radio and heater delete models,etc aren't collectible, their just weird. However these people think this weirdness makes them priceless. Here's some examples. # 1. 1971 Dodge Demon. This one is for sale on a website that specializes in old musclecars. This is supposed to be 1 of 1. Its a 340 Demon that Mr Norm's Grand Spaulding Dodge put a Six-Pack setup on. It also has no power steering, manual drum brakes, a 3-speed stick and the ugliest tartan-plaid vinyl upholstered bench seat you've ever seen. Asking price is $69,995!!!  70 grand for a 340 Demon???!!!!  On the same site their selling one of 44 1965 A990 Hemi Belvedere's for less than that!!! Their selling a restored, numbers-matching '69 440 GTX for less than that!!!  Really think about this-I'm not slamming the website / dealer-a lot of their stuff is there on consignment and it's the car's owner that's asking the insane price. But you want more for a 340 Demon than someone is asking for a for-real one of 44 ever built, restored, 4-speed Hemi Belvedere??  Or a numbers-matching 440 GTX?  And you wonder why you don't have any offers?  # 2. 1979 Trans-Am. This one was supposedly bought new and never driven. It has 65 miles on it having spent it's entire life in storage. The owner is asking $160,000 for it!!!  And it's a 403 / Olds TH350 model!!! Is he on glue? The reason I say that is the same day on different websites I saw a '79 400, 4-speed, WS6 10th Anniversary model with 8,000 miles for sale for $43,995!!!  I saw another 400,4-speed, WS6 10th Anniversary model with 66,000 original miles for $14,900!!!  What makes this idiot think that his T/A is worth 4 to 10 times what these other, better optioned and similar condition cars are???  # 3. 1969 Trans-Am. Yes the car is numbers-matching, and it is one of 697 ever made. The ass-clown that owns it thinks it's extra valuable because it's one of 13 that were built with a 3-speed stick. ( All the others were 4-speeds or TH400s ). He's asking $140,000 for it. Ok. You say-'69 T/A's sell for that all the time,much more if it's a Ram Air IV. All true. Except this thing is a piece of shit that I wouldn't pay $14,000 for!!!  He's got balls enough to post pictures of it. The car has been sitting for like 20 years. The master cylinder and brake booster are covered in rust. The radiator support is covered in rust. Rust and oil and antifreeze has puked out of the valve covers and permanently rusted them. The engine hasn't been started in 20 years. It doesn't even turn over, and may be locked up. The car needs a full, frame off restoration. Like I said I saw on another website-a numbers-matching for-real '69 T/A that had a TH400 and factory A/C and had just had a complete restoration sold for $129,000. I saw another pristine RAIII / 4-speed model go for $119,000. Most reputable resto shops charge $100 per hour or more for labor plus the parts. This asshole wants 140K for a car that needs 100 grand worth of work!!!  Because it's "Rare". Puhleeze. # 4. 1966 Corvette. I mentioned this guy before- he's bewildered that every Hot August Nights he tries to sell this car and gets zero offers. Its 390 hp 427 model with a Powerglide. Rare and weird. Still, any 427 Stingray has some value, right? Not $250,000 that this asshole is asking!!!  By comparison I saw a pristine,Tri-power 427, 4-speed '68 model sell for $52,000. I saw RK Motors in North Carolina has a Tri-Power, 4-speed, 427 '69 Convertible for sale for $79,000. I saw a for-real one of 116 '69 L88 models for sale in Hemmings for 150K. I see other big-block '65-67 Stingrays all over the 'net for 75K-120K. Think this guy is a little whacked on his pricing? I don't know what he paid for it, but he could probably sell it pretty easy for 50 grand. Maybe even 75 is the buyer absolutely had to have that color combination and maybe wanted to drop in a TH350 for a huge performance boost. ( TH350's are the exact same length as a Powerglide and use the same rear trans mount and driveshaft yoke. Exept now you'd have 3 gears instead of 2!! ) But a quarter million??  Because it's so Rare. # 5. 1970 Tempest T-37. This one is a 350 / 3-speed. And the guy is shocked that he can't get 100 grand for it. Really-when I saw a '70 Ram Air IV, 4-speed Judge selling for $79,000?  When I saw a 455HO '71 GTO selling for $59,000? A for-real RAIV '69 GTO with 4.33:1 gears, the "OW" code TH400 and 69,000 original miles for $45,000? I know it's a T/A-apples and oranges-but I saw a numbers matching, flawless RAIII, 4-speed '70 T/A with 39,000 orignal miles on it for $59,000.  And people aren't lining up to pay 100K for a 350 Tempest? I'm shocked. Go ahead and love your weird car-just don't expect somebody to pay you 5 or 10 times what it's worth!!  Mastermind