What's wrong with this car?

[Lyfisin]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1971-CUDA-340-MATCHING-NUMBERS-BS23HIB-BARRACUDA_W0QQitemZ290041081771QQihZ019QQcategoryZ 6409QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I know. Lots.

However, I'm still interested in it. Could some of you guys that are really mechanically savvy take a look at all of the pictures and give me your input? Some of the pics are taken of parts of the car I can't identify and I can't understand what the issues might be.

I'm mainly wondering if there are any really bad issues. While I know "really bad" is relative, I'd still appreciate any thoughts you all might have.

[Silver_2000]

did you get it ?

22k is a lot of money for a rusted trashed clone

[StormShadow]

Your best bet if you get it is to try to get on overhaulin'. Cool car but it needs a lot of work and you'd be paying 22k for a rusted car that has sat up for years.

[SILVER2000SVT]

I thought it was a fair price at $1000 a couple of hours ago. To pay $22K is crazy!

[mustgofaster]

Too much to pay for a car that needs a full frame-off restoration IMHO. If it didn't have all that body rot it might not be so bad.
Steve

[Lyfisin]

I wasn't the one who bought it, but I don't believe it is a clone. If you look at the title, it says Hemi Clone, but I think the seller did that just so it would show up in people's searches.

Everything I read showed it to be a true numbers matching 'Cuda (i.e. a Barracuda with the 'Cuda option) and the pictures even included the fender tag.

I have been researching that particular year and model for months (probably closer to a year) and believe me that was a very fair price. The '71s are the more rare and '70s are a little less. The 72s and 73s are much less. The real 'Cuda optioned cars VIN starts with BS and are a higher value also.

It wouldn't surprise me if he got so many calls he took it off because he realized he could get more. I know it sounds like a lot of money, but that's what those cars are going for.

[WA 2 FST]

Brook,

It would be a lot cheaper (and more fun, IMHO) to find a decent condition shell and put a 440 in it. Do a "clone" yourself. Chances are you'll spend less, have a car you can actually drive without worrying about small things hurting its value, a motor that you can run hard at times and not worry about blowing it up (its not original if it blows, so repair/replacement will not bring down the $$ of your car).

$22k for a rust bucket... unless you have the urge to do a concours restoration and end up with a car valued at $75-100+k, I'm not sure its worth it.

Good luck in your continued search.

[Lyfisin]

I hear ya Wes, and in a lot of cases, you'd be right. For me, and in this specific case, a clone won't do. I want the real deal. It doesn't have to have a huge engine. It's not a car I'd be wanting to race.

I didn't expect to get in and drive it anytime soon. It was going to be a multiple year project and I had a good idea going in what kind of resources it would take to make it right. At least I think I did.

At any rate, it must have been the right deal for somebody. It went from 1k to 2.25k to 7k to sold in a matter of hours this morning.

For me, the search continues. :)

[Ohmsby]

Wes you are a wise man and Brook you will find your ride :D
Brook,

It would be a lot cheaper (and more fun, IMHO) to find a decent condition shell and put a 440 in it. Do a "clone" yourself. Chances are you'll spend less, have a car you can actually drive without worrying about small things hurting its value, a motor that you can run hard at times and not worry about blowing it up (its not original if it blows, so repair/replacement will not bring down the $$ of your car).

$22k for a rust bucket... unless you have the urge to do a concours restoration and end up with a car valued at $75-100+k, I'm not sure its worth it.

Good luck in your continued search.

[Lyfisin]

Hard to believe the difference one letter makes. Here's a non-cuda option (BH in the VIN vs BS) '71 that the guy says first 30k takes.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1971Plymouth-BaraCuda-H-P-440-Magnum_W0QQitemZ130037616941QQihZ003QQcategoryZ640 9QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[WA 2 FST]

See this is what I'm talking about. Unless you are going to show the car competitively at a concours-restoration shows where there is $$-involved, a car like this would be just as much "fun" and garner just as much attention as a 100% real one. And its 1/4 of the price, just as easy to maintain...and you're not starting off with a pile of junk that will take 5-10 years of time (if you do it yourself) to fix up and enjoy.

[Mark #2]

Hard to believe the difference one letter makes. Here's a non-cuda option (BH in the VIN vs BS) '71 that the guy says first 30k takes.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1971Plymouth-BaraCuda-H-P-440-Magnum_W0QQitemZ130037616941QQihZ003QQcategoryZ640 9QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
It is sold.

[TP Derrick D]

Brook,
are you just looking for a Cuda/Challenger,any MOPAR vehicles or any '60's-'70's muscle car? The shop where I had my wife's Vette restored has quite a few old muscle cars that the owner has bought with intention to restore and sell or sell before restoring. I know a couple months ago he had a couple early '70's Road Runners, a 70 Mustang Grande', a couple GTO's(69 & 71 I believe) and a few from the 50's along with 10-15 others in his lot.

[Lyfisin]

It is sold.

At the bottom, someone asked what he would be willing to sell it outright for and the seller said the first 30k takes. I guess he was serious.




Brook,
are you just looking for a Cuda/Challenger,any MOPAR vehicles or any '60's-'70's muscle car?

I'm specifically looking for a '71 Cuda with a VIN starting with BS23H1. There are other things that sort of matter to me also, but that's the minimum.