hello everyone

I am new to the whole classic car scene but have been building bikes for a couple years now (working on my 4th one now).

I put my custom HD sportster on ebay and only brought in 3800. i have 6500 into it just in parts. i am fortunate enough to not HAVE to sell it, i just thought i'd try.

anyway a gentleman offered to trade me his running 68 GTO 4-speed straight up for the bike. i know it needs a fair amount of body work in a few places and possibly in other areas not visible.

given todays economy i am just trying to sort out if this trade is a fair swap. i dont expect 6500 today for my bike as i see many bikes on ebay going for much less than a few years ago. the bike will never gain value like a GTO.

i am really hoping some experts on here can provide me some guidance as to if i should make the deal. he is about 350 miles away so i cant cjheck it out. but he says it runs/drives/stops and would drive it here if he had too.

this link has the pics. thank you in advance. i am really interested but i dont want a POS. i have a buddy who does some bodywork and an uncle who is a master mechanic so between all of us we can do at least some of the work. prob wont do a 100 point restore as i dont have that cash. i just want to drive it as i restore it over time (the right way) but not be into it for 10k in body work alone just to start with. hope that makes sense.

pics here:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=cp1wtlp.6g2vvm9x&x=0&y=-oiofti&localeid=en_US (http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=cp1wtlp.6g2vvm9x&x=0&y=-oiofti&localeid=en_US)

Welcome to AF. Do not, I repeat do not buy sight unseen or without an appraiser looking at it, any classic type car listed on E Bay. Whatever the seller says cut the truth in half. I buy and sell these type cars, mostly 50's stuff, most people don't even really know what they have, what's been done and what it needs. Certainly a non rusted running 68 GTO is a good deal against your bike, at 6,500. Plus make sure it is not a clone, do your research!

thank you for the reply
we would be doing a trade so no money is involved - minus the gas cost to drive 350 miles for each of us to get to a central point. i have spent literally about 6 hours on the phone with this guy and while i could never be certain (and sadly have been screwed before), my "gut" tells me he is a pretty stand-up guy. he's disclosed a lot of the issues already mentioned by friends/family/forum people.

i guess what i am trying to discern is - in it's present condition, is that GTO worth about 5k which is what my bike seems to command on ebay. I am very happy to keep my bike and try to sell/trade at a later date, but if I have a chance to get a GTO even though it needs work but runs drives and stops, is it a fair deal.

the worst that can happen is i drive out there and realize it's just too far gone and at that point i have just taken a 2 day, 400 dollar road trip. but in the grand scheme of things that's better than trading for a boat anchor.

my bud said he thinks it may have been in a wreck as the core support is new and looks like some front end sheet metal was replaced. the owner hasnt mentioned this but saying that it was in some sort iof accident, how much does that diminish the value? i am looking to restore to a daily driver standpoint, not a 100 point restore though i will only add things that will help the value. not going to go the rat rod route or anything. just replace as nec with quality components and work through it over time while driving it.

The heads are not GTO heads. The cast "140" shows clearly, and that's a "big car" 400 or 350 head, circa '67.

Check the VIN. If the first three digits are "242", it's a GTO, not a clone. If they are not 242, it is NOT a "real" GTO. 235 is a Tempest and 236 is a LeMans.

The shifter is a Hurst Super Shifter III, not an original Competition Plus.

If wrecked, but not MASSIVELY, it should have little or no impact on the value, provided the repairs are a quality job. Look closely at the frame "horns" (the part that sticks out to mount the bumper).

ALL the parts necessary to restore the car are readily available, and a true 4-speed '68 GTO is worth A LOT more than $6,500. Maybe add a zero...

Pontiac Historic Services will provide you a copy of the build sheet for a nominal fee. It will eliminate any doubt as to what the car came with as new.

Don't worry about the heads. 16s (what came on most '68 GTOs) are fairly plentiful.

Most importantly, talk to real Pontiac people about it, not your "buds" that read Hot Rod or something. Information gets lost over the years, and Pontiacs are no exception to that. There are plenty of real Pontiac people around, just not around here... There ARE a couple, though. (:-

Jim

thank you for the help

i checked this vin number and it came upo as a GTO

242378P289779

thanks again Jim

so as currently set-up with the non-orig motor, lots of surface rust and the obvious severe rust spots, being a driveable car as-is, do you think a value of 4-5k for that car is fair? i am seeing GTO projects without drivetrains for sale at 5k, ad others have sold for 3k with the drivetrain and everything in-between so i just cant get a decent base to go on for comparing.

i realize a market is only what someone will pay. the longer i hold my bike the less value for it.

Whether or not it's a "fair" price is entirely up to you. I too, have seen them go for a lot or a little. If it has a Muncie 4-speed and isn't too far gone, body-wise, you won't LOSE money on it. 4-speed cars are bringing quite a bit more than autos. There were more made, but more were thrashed beyond all limits, too. In olden times, "high stall" torque converters were simply too expensive, so 4-speed cars got all the "race" duty.

Jim