Rob Peters Posted December 7, 2016 Share Posted December 7, 2016 As long as the appraiser is aware that Monte Carlo's do not sell at the premium prices that the Chevelle's do and base his appraisal on Chevelle prices. If he is a professional appraiser that should not be an issue. If there are no real issues with the car and he finds it is priced right then pull the trigger on it. After all, you feel the price is in your range and you like the car so if he looks it over and finds no rust issues and the under carriage is solid then again, pull the trigger. The way I have always looked at a deal is this, If the seller and buyer are satisfied with the deal then it is a good deal, no matter what other people say. Other people don't have to live with the results of the deal so if the buyer feels they got a good deal then it is a good deal. Good luck on this car, I hope it is representative of what the pictures and price show. rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sredmyer Posted December 7, 2016 Author Share Posted December 7, 2016 Well the date for the inspection is set for next Friday (earliest the owner and inspector could get together). The more I look at this car there are a couple of options I had in the car I had in HS that I may want to add to this one(assuming I get it of coarse). Can anyone give me an idea of how hard it would be to add factory cruise control? Are the parts hard to find? I think I will also try to find an old factory AM/FM 8-Track stereo for it. I still have all of my old tapes and think it would be awesome to be riding around in that car listening to my old favorites. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam (Bones) Posted December 7, 2016 Share Posted December 7, 2016 I think the price is high Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leghome Posted December 8, 2016 Share Posted December 8, 2016 The problem I have had with eight track tapes if they have been stored in a high heat area AKA attic they may have become brittle. I know this from personal experience. Almost ruined a tape player when this happened. The factory cruise control worked but not all that well. I lost about 5 to 10 MPH on hills. Just my personal with the older cruise control systems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stangeba Posted December 8, 2016 Share Posted December 8, 2016 I added cruise control to my Monte 27 years ago. I have had to take it apart and clean it inside several times when it act's up, but I love it! Never had an 8 track, replaced my original AM/FM Stereo with an updated version (Did NOT mess up my dash) with a CD player in the trunk and a cassette player that I have never used. I haven't listened to broadcast radio in years, it's like when I don't DVR a TV show, I hate commercials! Bruce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sredmyer Posted December 8, 2016 Author Share Posted December 8, 2016 Yeah compared to today's music play back devices 8-tracks do kinda suck but I have fond memories of parking with a girl listening to Boston and hearing the thing thunk through the tracks. Or driving from central IN to Atlanta to visit family and listening to the Strikes tape by Blackfoot. The song of coarse, was "Highway Song". A big part of this purchase, for me, is to recapture a bit of my youth so realism is important. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zmanabba Posted December 8, 2016 Share Posted December 8, 2016 That looks like a really nice car. I agree that the price is a bit high. The only thing that I would add to the already excellent advise given is you might want to factor in repair/replacement of the dash if you are going to remove the glove box mounted CD player. I can pretty much guarantee that there is a big hole cut in the glove box to mount that and the dash is all one piece. Unfortunately I have personal experience with this and it is on my list of things to replace. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sredmyer Posted December 9, 2016 Author Share Posted December 9, 2016 That looks like a really nice car. I agree that the price is a bit high. The only thing that I would add to the already excellent advise given is you might want to factor in repair/replacement of the dash if you are going to remove the glove box mounted CD player. I can pretty much guarantee that there is a big hole cut in the glove box to mount that and the dash is all one piece. Unfortunately I have personal experience with this and it is on my list of things to replace. David I really appreciate all the advice on the price. I tried to get a "book" value from Hagerty's and NADA and both put the asking price near the top of the value range. Unfortunately neither does a very good job of enumerating the features so I am not sure how much weight to give that valuation. I completely agree with what someone (I think it was Rob) has said about the car being worth whatever we (the seller and I) come to agree on. However, I am trying to balance my mid-life crisis (that's what my wife is calling this) with practicality. That means I must attempt to buy the car at a price that allows it to be an investment at some level. That's good to know about the dash. I assumed I would just be able to replace the glove box...did not realize it was integral to the dash. That said I was kind of thinking I may need to do something like that to repair the hole created by the bolt that is used to mount the gauge cluster. On the CD player specifically, I was hoping I could figure a way to keep both the OEM radio and the aftermarket one. Ideally, there would be a switch somewhere to switch between them. I think my problem is going to be trying to strike a balance between matching this car to the one I had in HS and trying not to damage the originality value of the car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MCfan Posted December 9, 2016 Share Posted December 9, 2016 Steve, from what I can see and read on the website, you have found a very special first gen Monte! I hope it checked out in the inspection you had done and, if so, it's surely worth the high end of the current market range. Still, I think you should be able to land it for under $20K but that's up to you and the seller. When you pay that kind of money, you should be able to enjoy the car immediately without having to make expensive repairs or modifications. There's probably a place for classic cars that are totally original, but it is no where near either of my garages. Most of us who bought and owned first gen Montes in the early '70s made changes like tires, wheels, exhaust systems, intakes, etc. to "personalize" them and enjoy them even more so why not do the same 46 years later? In addition to keeping a more modern sound system, I would personally add a keyless entry system and both front and rear bumper guards to that beauty. It already has a lot of great options and the interior configuration and exterior color combo need no changes whatever. If this car is very close to what you want, I hope you can make a reasonable deal with the seller, because there aren't many like it on the market. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sredmyer Posted December 9, 2016 Author Share Posted December 9, 2016 Thanks MCFan. I am very excited about this car. The inspection is scheduled for next Friday and assuming the car is what the seller says it is I suspect it will be in my garage soon. I like the idea of a keyless entry system. Would that be practical on a car without power locks? Can you share a link to some kits that would work on this car. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Peters Posted December 10, 2016 Share Posted December 10, 2016 Steve, click on the below link and read through the information regardine keyless entry, it may answer your questions on keyless entry: rob http://www.firstgenmc.com/forums/index.php?/topic/8758-group-buy-power-door-lockstrunk-release/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leghome Posted December 10, 2016 Share Posted December 10, 2016 Also to have a switch to operate two different radios you have to be sure the speakers will be compatible with each radio. I had to change my speakers when I went with the new style of radio, the ohms were different for between the radios. I am sure there is someone here who is much up to date on this kind of info than me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sredmyer Posted December 10, 2016 Author Share Posted December 10, 2016 Also to have a switch to operate two different radios you have to be sure the speakers will be compatible with each radio. I had to change my speakers when I went with the new style of radio, the ohms were different for between the radios. I am sure there is someone here who is much up to date on this kind of info than me. That's a good point. If I remember correctly I added aftermarket speakers to the car I had in HS and ended up burning out the radio. I think most aftermarket speakers are 8 ohm but the factory ones were 10 (I think). A switched setup was probably not a realistic idea any way Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sredmyer Posted December 14, 2016 Author Share Posted December 14, 2016 So I am still waiting on the inspection (due to happen this Friday) and am trying to learn more about this car while waiting. At this point all I have is the VIN. I am waiting on a picture of the cowl tag but haven't gotten that yet. What I know from the VIN is that this is a Flint car. From my reading here on the forum, I gather that means there will be no build sheet for this car (the owner confirms he does not have one). So my question is, is there anyway to know what options this car had from the factory? As always, thanks for your insight, Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Peters Posted December 14, 2016 Share Posted December 14, 2016 None that I know of Steve. I would not let that stop me though if I really liked the car and the inspection comes back positively. rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sredmyer Posted December 14, 2016 Author Share Posted December 14, 2016 None that I know of Steve. I would not let that stop me hough if I really liked the car and the inspection comes back positively. rob I completely agree. I was just thinking that since the car appears to be (inspection will tell for sure) an original numbers matching car, I might not want to add things (like power door locks, cruise control, etc) that might negatively impact its "originality". However, if there is no way to know that the car did not come with those things from the factory and I use all period correct OEM parts to do it, I would think it would not negatively impact its value. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Peters Posted December 14, 2016 Share Posted December 14, 2016 When I look at originality, I look at what what would have been available from the factory, not always how it rolled off the factory line. That is me personally but not all "original freaks" are alike. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canuck Posted December 14, 2016 Share Posted December 14, 2016 The cowl tag will indicate the colour, vinyl top (if any), seat style (buckets vs bench), seat material and colour. The engine and trans options can be verified by matching the VIN to those components. Without a build sheet it would be tough to verify anything else. IF by chance the car was purchased in Canada when new, GM Canada would have the option records for that vehicle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sredmyer Posted December 20, 2016 Author Share Posted December 20, 2016 Well, the inspection/appraisal are complete. The inspection came out pretty much as the seller indicated...that the car is very clean (though not perfect) and mechanically strong. Unfortunately the inspector was not able to verify that the car was numbers matching but said that wouldn't impact price much anyway. The appraisal came in much lower than I expected at $14,400. That is a long way from the $21,700 the seller is asking. As I say the appraisal seems a bit low to me and the sellers asking price seems a bit high. I decided that because this car is exactly (color, options, etc.) what I am looking for I would offer the seller $17,500.00...he declined without making a counter. So it seems like I will have to keep looking If anyone knows of a 1970 big block in Cortez silver with the vinyl top and the bucket seats with the console, please let me know. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rock Posted December 20, 2016 Share Posted December 20, 2016 Numbers matching is a good selling point but don't let it make or break a deal. Unless it's a low production car like an SS or a 4 speed I would put very little weight into that. Just my opinion but it's usually nothing more than a bragging right. Good luck in your search. It's tough to find a nice car for a decent price. I ended up buying one in decent shape that needed some TLC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Peters Posted December 20, 2016 Share Posted December 20, 2016 Numbers matching is a good selling point but don't let it make or break a deal. Unless it's a low production car like an SS or a 4 speed I would put very little weight into that. Just my opinion but it's usually nothing more than a bragging right. Good luck in your search. It's tough to find a nice car for a decent price. I ended up buying one in decent shape that needed some TLC. I agree in part with the above statement. I would add.... If someone is searching for an original car they may look for a (1) numbers matching,(2) low mileage and (3) unmolested, totally factory stock vehicle. These are getting harder and harder to find which may raise the ante when setting a price. rob 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rock Posted December 20, 2016 Share Posted December 20, 2016 I agree in part with the above statement. I would add.... If someone is searching for an original car they may look for a (1) numbers matching, (2) low mileage and (3) unmolested, totally factory stock vehicle. These are getting harder and harder to find which may raise the ante when setting a price. rob Survivors in top shape are the exception to my comments. They are pretty rare when we are talking cars that are almost 50 years old. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zmanabba Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 That was a very nice car. But it's not the only one. Very easy to get discouraged when you came so close. My advise is to take a breather for a few days and get back in to the search. You also might use the time to list anything that might not be deal breakers. Is there anything that could be added later as long as the car you end up with has good bones. I'm not talking about a full on project car but something that can be driven while you add the goodies. A last final thought. Things could change with the owner of this car. Seeing a much lower price in black and white couldn't have felt good. As long as you parted on reasonably good terms he might call you with a new offer or not. My only advise on that is to not call him. Again I hope that you find your dream car but it might be a marathon. David 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sredmyer Posted December 21, 2016 Author Share Posted December 21, 2016 Well the seller called me back. He was very nice and apologetic of the fact we were not able to reach a deal. He knew I had money invested in the inspection/appraisal and hated that it was for naught. As I say I shared the appraisal report (which was quite detailed) with him and he agreed with nearly everything in it but did not agree with the price. Even more of an issue for him was that he did not really need to sell and he knew he could not buy another one (assuming he could find one) and he certainly could not restore one for the amount he is asking. At this point I do not think he would sell even if I were to match his ask. The search continues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Peters Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 Well the seller called me back. He was very nice and apologetic of the fact we were not able to reach a deal. He knew I had money invested in the inspection/appraisal and hated that it was for naught. At this point I do not think he would sell even if I were to match his ask. The search continues. sounds like that same old tale of a wife saying.... "You need to try to sell that car" and the husband saying..."But honey, I tried but nobody wanted to pay near what it was worth." ? Never mind he was asking way too much. rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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