I can't argue with JP's logic. I paid $3500 for my Avanti because at the time that's all I could earmark for a car. Could I have gotten one that didn't need all the work, absolutely. Would I have spent money on that one anyway? Definitely. If I kept it for 13 years like I have kept my R2 would it need a good re-furbishing?Probably. Would I have ended up spending the same money? More than likely.
In JP's case, fast turnover dictates the buy. I manage a new car dealership. Give me a good $3500 used car that's relatively clean and I can turn it for a $3000 retail profit or a fast $1,000 wholesale deal versus trading a $20,000 BMW and sitting with it to make $1500 hoping it makes it off the lot without a service light coming on. Same premise. $1500 Lark that needs attention but will sell quickly for $6,000 or a $6000 Avanti that will take 10K to bring $13,000?
But let's assume that the buyer is not looking to turn it over and chooses carefully. Is the car really more to restore than a comparable vehicle, say a Hawk GT. Would you not agree that a rusted 6K hawk may not be the bargain it appeared to be. It's not fair to compare it to a 6 cylinder cruiser and while the beautiful 53 Coupes may be simpler mechanically I will leave it to the forum to tell me if there is a cheap one out there to buy in the first place and in the long run will it cost less to restore than almost any Avanti?
In defense of the Avanti from a hobbyists view and not strictly for resale. In most cases there's less chrome to deal with, mechanical parts except for blowers and R2 specific pieces might be a little more expensive but with options like the Turner system for brakes on Avantis and other Studes you could call the brakes a wash. The interior, well I did mine myself. It needed EVERYTHING, $2,000 for the pieces and lots of sticky fingers from gluing things together but I did it, including the seats. Paint and body about $6,000 total with me dis-assembling the car and putting it back together. I spent about $2,000 for the missing supercharger and mounting pieces, rebuild of the blower core and 3725S Carter carb. I found everything, except the interior, quite simple and straightforward. And, having done the interior once I could easily do another without too much difficulty. I had the rear glass in and out a couple of times and the windshield took no more than an hour to pop back in.
Now, I'm sure I'm well into the 40K range as far as money SPENT, I love when someone says they have 40K INVESTED in their car, but I've owned the car since 1995 and continue to play with it. most of the mechanical bits are new or rebuilt and I buy spares whenever the opportunity presents itself. And, if I were to have left it alone and not tried to personalize it as much as I have it would have saved me probably $12-15K ( the 700R4 learning curve was steep and expensive and the Nimesh blower and HO pulleys were certainly not a necessity ).
I actually think the right cheap Avanti could be one of the great automotive bargains. An Avanti II with a solid frame, presentable paint and a driver quality interior for around $10-12K could be a fun ride with just maintenance costs to worry about. Check the frame and underbody supports, remove the stainless trim on the A pillars to check the window frame and you should be good to go. Since Avanti II's could be custom ordered you don't have to do the interior, if needed, with "correct" materials or colors. The Chevy motor? Nothing in the automotive world could be cheaper to rebuild.
Now, being in the Northeast, a restored metal car may need to be re-restored in the course of ownership. I've seen plenty of expensive paint jobs with the beginnings of rust bubbling through their sanded smooth paint surfaces. At least I know that as long as I keep my hog troughs clean and treated, my frame free of mud build up that my car could sit in the rain for a month and not have to worry about the quarters rusting ( it doesn't though ).
I drive my car a lot, drag race the car, and push it har
In JP's case, fast turnover dictates the buy. I manage a new car dealership. Give me a good $3500 used car that's relatively clean and I can turn it for a $3000 retail profit or a fast $1,000 wholesale deal versus trading a $20,000 BMW and sitting with it to make $1500 hoping it makes it off the lot without a service light coming on. Same premise. $1500 Lark that needs attention but will sell quickly for $6,000 or a $6000 Avanti that will take 10K to bring $13,000?
But let's assume that the buyer is not looking to turn it over and chooses carefully. Is the car really more to restore than a comparable vehicle, say a Hawk GT. Would you not agree that a rusted 6K hawk may not be the bargain it appeared to be. It's not fair to compare it to a 6 cylinder cruiser and while the beautiful 53 Coupes may be simpler mechanically I will leave it to the forum to tell me if there is a cheap one out there to buy in the first place and in the long run will it cost less to restore than almost any Avanti?
In defense of the Avanti from a hobbyists view and not strictly for resale. In most cases there's less chrome to deal with, mechanical parts except for blowers and R2 specific pieces might be a little more expensive but with options like the Turner system for brakes on Avantis and other Studes you could call the brakes a wash. The interior, well I did mine myself. It needed EVERYTHING, $2,000 for the pieces and lots of sticky fingers from gluing things together but I did it, including the seats. Paint and body about $6,000 total with me dis-assembling the car and putting it back together. I spent about $2,000 for the missing supercharger and mounting pieces, rebuild of the blower core and 3725S Carter carb. I found everything, except the interior, quite simple and straightforward. And, having done the interior once I could easily do another without too much difficulty. I had the rear glass in and out a couple of times and the windshield took no more than an hour to pop back in.
Now, I'm sure I'm well into the 40K range as far as money SPENT, I love when someone says they have 40K INVESTED in their car, but I've owned the car since 1995 and continue to play with it. most of the mechanical bits are new or rebuilt and I buy spares whenever the opportunity presents itself. And, if I were to have left it alone and not tried to personalize it as much as I have it would have saved me probably $12-15K ( the 700R4 learning curve was steep and expensive and the Nimesh blower and HO pulleys were certainly not a necessity ).
I actually think the right cheap Avanti could be one of the great automotive bargains. An Avanti II with a solid frame, presentable paint and a driver quality interior for around $10-12K could be a fun ride with just maintenance costs to worry about. Check the frame and underbody supports, remove the stainless trim on the A pillars to check the window frame and you should be good to go. Since Avanti II's could be custom ordered you don't have to do the interior, if needed, with "correct" materials or colors. The Chevy motor? Nothing in the automotive world could be cheaper to rebuild.
Now, being in the Northeast, a restored metal car may need to be re-restored in the course of ownership. I've seen plenty of expensive paint jobs with the beginnings of rust bubbling through their sanded smooth paint surfaces. At least I know that as long as I keep my hog troughs clean and treated, my frame free of mud build up that my car could sit in the rain for a month and not have to worry about the quarters rusting ( it doesn't though ).
I drive my car a lot, drag race the car, and push it har
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