Overhaulin' - Ford classic car purchasing advice?

Ford classic car purchasing advice?

My husband and I have a chance to buy a 1976 4-door Ford LTD with only 7,000 ORIGINAL MILES. It was owned by an elderly lady who passed away. It was always kept in the garage and smells like a new car inside. The price is only $2500, which seems like a good deal. However it is very big and with gas prices so high we don't know if it's worth getting. what do you think? is it a good car? or should we pass on it? thanks any other advice or knowledge about this type of car is greatly appreciated

Public Comments

PASS:.......Who's name is it registered in? If hers, then you will have troubles getting it transferred to you. How old was the driver? The car is 35 years old, so she was 35 years younger and she would have put more than 7,000 miles. The gas is really bad. all the rubber hoses, and tires need to be replaced. Creatures (spiders, ground squirrels, rats, mice,etc.) probably have made homes inside the engine compartment. Creatures love to eat wiring. Just too much trouble.
50/50 i would say depending were you live i would defiantly want to get a pre-safety done on it, or pre certified, and i would get a quote from your insurance company and also see if they would insure it, as some insurance companies will only insure it if ur above 25, and also you will have to have it appraised, defiantly get it looked at first by a mechanic and see how many cars are around and call local part stores and see how much it it for parts so then you can be prepared for any big prices before you buy so then you know if something breaks you know how much its gonna cost. also think about the up keep on the car. we were going to buy a 1970 ford F150 camper special but are insurance company wouldn't insure us b.c its over 20 years old and alot of insurance companies wouldn't insure us because we were under 25. and only 2 companies would insure us and they wanted 300-400+ a month for it. if a mechanic says it passes or if it needs little work then go for it. and yea gas prices are high but how much are you gonna really use the car? only for car shows/weekend drives? then it shouldn't really matter too much. but defiantly do your research first get a mechanic who specializes in older vehicles to look at it so you know what to expect and that you don't end up buying a lemon that is gonna need lots of money. i hope this info helps :)
It may be a nice old car, but is it going to be your only car? you may not like living with it's gas mileage, 12 city and 17 mpg highway..plus it's the first year that has to be smogged semiannual... Also be careful of the mileage, there's no way of knowing if it actually has 7,000 or 107.000 miles, but with that low of mileage it should be new in every way, but sitting unused, can still destroy seals and cause leaks....you may end up rebuilding all the mechanicals. at least the brakes and fuel system..$$$$ Not a daily driver..
I would do some math first, then set your priorities. Consider your other car preferences and then compute the amount of gas you could put in the LTD for that amount of $$$. If your second choice is 6 grand that difference will put 875 gallons of fuel in the LTD @ 4 dollars a gallon. Finding a good, low mileage used car is tough enough, but the newer the car, the higher the technology and the higher the repair costs. A 70's car like this one is SIMPLE to work on, has virtually no electronics to speak of and has a minimum of 70,000 miles of use left on it before you start having major problems. It is also built like a tank.. so if you are worried about the safety of your family, you don't have spend 50 grand on an 4wd SUV to protect them.. Hondas and Toyotas will bounce off the windshield like flies... with a minimum of insurance/body damage to your car. If the car has a 351 in it, it obviously isn't going to get Prius mileage, but chances are good it will get better mileage then a lot of modern trucks.. and you can still tow a trailer or boat. If the inside smells new, and it has always been garaged, I doubt highly if you will have to worry about rubber or wiring issues, and even if you did, any high school kid can replace a fan belt, heater or radiator hose at a fraction of the cost of going to a dealer for a new car. Lastly, don't confuse old with classic, collectible, vintage or antique. Just because its old doesn't make it worth big bucks. Like all else, the collectible car market is depressed right now, so don't let feelings of "I'm making an investment" cloud your judgment... cars are only worth what people will pay for them, and a mid 70's LTD is WAY down the list of collectible Fords.
Aeonyx has it pretty well figured out for you. You have to ask yourself why do you want to purchase the car. Do you want it for car shows, is it going to be your only car? If you are buying it to restore and use for shows and you just like the car then get it to enjoy it, but as a daily driver you might not like to use it as a daily driver, especially if you are not very mechanical. These cars are pretty easy to work on, have loads of room and loads of mechanical parts availble. There is actually an LTD car club out there. I have 3 old Galaxies and drove my main 64 Galaxie from 1980 to 2002 as a daily driver until buying my first new car, a Grand Marquis and I still have the Galaxies. You say it has lows miles, but has it been driven and started or is it just sitting in a garage for 10 years untouched, if so it will need service and some money put into it. If you know someone that knows old cars take them to look at it. Is the body straight, original paint, untouched original motor, original interior, You need to check all these things, it might seem like a good deal but it probably needs something. If you have driven it and love how it looks and drives and its $2500 thats a great deal if it looks like showroom. The mid 70s cars will come into their own like all old cars, even though a 4 door sedan is not worth the same money as a 2 door. A plus about this car it was built to run on Unleaded fuels. Also is the car an LTD or an LTD II midsize / Torino, 2 completely different cars. http://lmwautoliterature.com/images/77fordltdbro1a1b.JPG I do like the LTD full size car its a nice looking car. LTD II http://homepage.mac.com/christopher.z/hobby/78-Matadoritems/OtherYears/-78LTD2aAD_l.jpg
You also should compare car insurance quotes for cars before buying one, for example here - carquotes.fateback.com