Craigslist Bay Area 68 2002 Not mine, just sharing

[goodkarmech]

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/5939629873.html   

[Cp_mech]

Thank-you for sharing this. It's what I've been looking for and it's nearby.

 

 

[Cp_mech]

I met with the seller today. Thought I'd give some more information in case anyone else is looking. The seller said they bought it from the first owner in Palo Alto where it sat in a garage for 30 years or so. It did not run when they first bought it.  

 

The body is really clean. There's some small surface rust across the body of course but this is the smallest amount I've seen. The rear bumper also needs to be re-chromed as the chrome has been at and there's some surface rust there. The rear tow hook busted off when they tried to use several years ago since the welds had corroded. However, the inside of the spare wheel well looked good. It was just underneath that there was some rust. The exhaust bracket near the front was also busted on one side. Everywhere else looked rust free. Lastly, the front windshield had a large crack in it.

 

The seller said they had the engine rebuilt when they bought it. They didn't have any paperwork though and they didn't know exactly what parts went into the work. However, the engine did run and sounded fine though I'm not an expert.

 

The car shifted into gear though it's the sloppiest transmission I've felt since sitting in a friend's 24 Hours of Lemons e30. 

 

All the electronics I checked worked including the roof light on the driver's side. Brake lights, emergency lights, turn signals, I didn't check the radio.

 

The steering wheel does not sit straight and under braking the car pulls left. Otherwise it seemed to drive okay.

 

In summary, if you are looking for a rust free car to restore then this would be a good option. It's good enough that you could drive it home. However, it is a complete restoration. Everything will have the be gone over and sorted. I would have bought it if the seller could have come down more from his asking price. If you're mainly looking for a clean early chassis though I would give this one a look. 

[Conserv]

Very interesting!  The lack of side markers and headrests screams "pre-January 1, 1969".  The photos of the riveted-on VIN plate and the U.S. Federal emissions sticker appear to say it is, indeed, a 1968 model and not simply an early (September through December 1968) 1969 model.  Although '69 models are fairly rare and desirable, bond fide '68 -models -- the first year for the 2002, and a short year, at that -- are even rarer and more desirable.  I have no reason to doubt the Chamonix paint and Navy Blue interior are the factory colors.  I believe I see a VIN of 166xxxx.  VIN 1660001 through 1662857(?) are 1968 model cars.

 

Yes, the price is high for a car that needs everything but, especially if it is a 1968 model, it's a rare and low-rust example of an early 2002!

 

Regards,

 

Steve

Edited January 2, 2017 by Conserv

[goodkarmech]

Thanks for the review Cp_mech.

Perhaps if you left the seller with a bonafide offer he will decide to sell to you after it sits unsold for a few weeks.

[cdbeemin]

I went to visit this car today as I was having mid project doubts about my tii resto and my thoughts were as follows:

This would definitely be a great project car, but it does have a few things to check more closely...

Spare tire well had a 2" hole in the bottom and was pretty rusty.

Passenger side rear part of the rocker had rot along the last 3 inches. My guess is there is more up in there. Frame rails looked clean down below.

Trunk lid has seam rust along the entire back edge, trim had rust spot along much of it and from my experience that translates to rust inside the panels.

Passenger side inner wheel arch, trunk side, had significant surface rust along the top. I didn't poke it with my screwdriver though so it could just be surface rust.

Motor sounded like it had something going on with the top end. Was not the normal knock of a needed valve adjustment.

Car lives outside, so i checked all of the floors, etc for any sign of wetness. The interior of the car was very nice and dry! totally clean under the back seat. The window seals were all covered in blue painter's tape, though, so I expect they've had leaking issues in the past

Spoke with the owner for a while (he, his brother and another guy) The car lived inside for the first 20+ (one said 30, the other said 20 something) years but has lived outside for the past 5-12 (depending on which guy was talking, one said they've had the car for 5 years, the other said closer to 12...)

Engine VIN and chassis VIN did not match, so motor has been replaced

 

As CP_Mech said, most everything looks stock and complete but needs refreshing.

 

I didn't bother to drive the car.

 

I told the guy he could get $4,500 to $5K for it based on other vehicles in the market today of similar condition. Maybe there is an opportunity for you to go back now and horse trade a bit...

 

My faith in my current project restored, I'll be back at it tomorrow!!

 

Chris

[Cp_mech]

Thanks for the reply Chris! Nice to have a second opinion.