For a point of reference, I had a
67 Convertible for about 20 years; I sold it on eBay in 2004. It
was a mostly original 84,000 mile car, with original paint, chrome, all
mechanical parts, but with a new top and new carpeting. It was very
presentable, but the paint was rubbed thin in places, and the upholstery had
been replaced by the original owner with the correct patterns and colors, but
with Naugahyde instead of the original leather.
I ran it on eBay the way I always
run stuff on eBay, namely with no reserve and a very low starting bid ($100) ?
as I feel that way one gets the best exposure and the true fair market
value. It brought $12,800 ? a price I feel was fair to both buyer
and seller.
I should add that the car
was a loaded high desert car, never out of Southern California, so of course
there was no rust, and that everything worked, from the windshield washers to
the clock to the automatic headlights, the AC, all 6 power windows and all the
other bells and whistles, and that the new top had the correct glass rear
window and original tonneau cover. I had replaced the wood inserts, and
all the undercar equipment as needed over the years. The car ran and
drove perfectly, and still does today. (but don?t they all?)
The new owner has become a friend,
but unfortunately he is not a joiner, so we don?t have him in the club.
He drives it as an everyday car in LA traffic, and has added about 25,000
miles without any problems.
As for driving the car, it was
flawless, as they all are ? and the convertibles ride noticeably better than
the closed cars due to the stiffer frame, although of course there is more
wind noise, especially on our 80 MPH freeways.
As for your questions about parts
availability and maintenance ? I never had a problem finding things ? usually
on eBay, but sometimes from other IML members (thanks again, Larry, Don and
Jason!). I do all my own maintenance, so I can?t comment on that
aspect other than to say these cars are as close to bulletproof as anything
mother MOPAR ever made ? you cannot beat the 440/727 combination, and
mechanical parts are a cinch since that combination was in production for so
many years.
People do seem to be worried about
brakes on these cars, although my experience, having owned 5 of them now, is
that they are also quite trouble-free and long lived, given normal servicing
when required.
Dick
Benjamin
From:
mailing-list-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:mailing-list-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of YBSHORE@xxxxxxx
Sent: Friday, September 01, 2006 3:23
AM
To:
mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: IML: silent directional
signals on my 1968 crown convert
I
am considering a '68 Imperial convertible for purchase and was wondering about
your feel for the car, maintenance, performance, parts availability, and
worth. Thanks.
Back to the Home of the Forward Look Network