Hey whats up every one? Well I am looking into buying a first generation camaro. I was wondering if 10,000 would get me a decent ride or not. Im not looking for a project car. I understand I may have little things to take care of but i dont want to buy a money pit, you know what i mean? Also is there anything i should look for when looking at an 67-69 that would be a good deal? Such as options, motor, anything? Sorry for all the questions as you can tell im not exactly sure what I should be looking for. Any giudance would be great. Thanks in advance.

 

for $10,000 everything should be brand new.

 

Depending on where you're located, you should be able to find solid project cars at half that price.

 

I live in the pan handle of Florida. So finding a solid car shouldnt be hard but im not looking for a project, not enough cash flow or know how to do extensive stuff.

 

I'd sure like to see a 69 Camaro with everything new for $10K!!!!!!!!!!!! I'd take two or three right now. You can find a solid car for $10K but the days of real nice cars for $5K are long gone.

 

You should be able to get a nice car without the original drivetrain for $10K. It won't be a show winner, but it should be nice. You need to check the floors, trunk pan, rear quarters, lower doors, lower front fender, rocker panels for rust repair that is done correctly. If someone seams in partial quarters, it will look nice for 1-3 years before the body work starts to break through. Anything that has lots of undercoating on it, stay away, it's hiding something bad. Don't expect a frame off restored car, but 10K should get a decent car. Take your time and don't jump at the first car you think is nice.

 

watch out for SS and Z28 clones!!! any ss or z28 around 10k is probably a clone. Also look for rust. For 10k you should be able to get something that has been restored relatively recently. Watch out for bondo and rust cover ups. If its just been painted thats a good way to hide rust.

 

is there anything inherently wrong with buying a clone? I'm a newb when it comes to first gens, but may also be buying one soon.

For someone like me, I don't want the expense of a collectable car. I don't want the numbers to match, and I don't really want an original motor.

 

When I was looking around the country for them people were asking 3-5,000 for shells, so for 10 you could maybe get a decent running car but maybe not yet road worthy... who knows maybe you will get lucky! Good Luck in your search!!

 

Its worth looking for something in solid shape and passing on potential nightmares. My first Camaro had a beautiful new paint job, and later I discovered it had hidden rust that was covered with bondo and paint. Bondo isn't necessarily bad when done correctly, however, this wasn't.

When I set out last September to buy another first gen, I had the opportunity to purchase several projects that were decent runners for fair prices. The closest I came was a '67 plain jane that was an original PW, PB car. It had a non matching 350/ 4bbl and a steel 69 Z/28 hood (a real orig. one actually). At just over $4000 it was a great deal... but it would have needed some work to make it presentable.

Then a month ago, the car ended up purchasing just fell into my lap so to speak. Yeah it was a little over $10k ($13900) but being super clean with only 103,000 miles, #'s matching and fully documented back to 1967... it was a bargain IMO. (Check the link below and see for yourselves.)

Things to watch out for?
#1 RUST!. Back window, trunk pan, and quarters are typically the first to go.

#2 Faked clones. There's nothing wrong with a clone IMO. However, when they try to sell plain Janes near SS and Z/28 prices by slapping emblems and stripes on them???? Just be prepared to know what's real and what isn't. A set of SS emblems will set you back less than $100, and stripes maybe $200 to have them done. You shouldn't pay much over the value of a plain Jane otherwise.

#3 Mechanical problems. A hot rodded car might already be halfway there... however, if its still got the factory 2bbl intake and exhaust manifolds, then you know its probably been taken care of. When checking suspected "low mileage" cars, check the pedals and interior. Signs of wear there could mean that 76K mile gem actually has 176K miles.

#4 Price match. Check out what similar Camaros are selling for on the internet. If its at a dealer, you can typically take at least $5,000 - $10,000 off the asking price to determine what its really worth.

Good luck.

 

You could get mine for much less than $10k right now. And if you want, I'll put a drivetrain back in it for you and still get it to you in your price range Pics are in the sig

 

oh yeah, you definitely got a bargain. That car should have gone for more than 15k.