I've been looking for a 1974 Dart Custom in great shape. It needs to be apple green color on the bottom with a white interior and white vinyl top.

I've found a 74 Dart Swinger that completely matches what I'm looking for and is in great shape with under 40K original miles. The problem? the guy wants $4K for it and I would have to have the car shipped to me, bringing my cost to around $5,000!

am I crazy to consider it? This seems way above market. But I am looking for something pretty specific. It's not the Dart Custom I was looking for, but all the colors and most options match my wishes, plus it's low miles.

Could someone give me some perspective? I don't feel like paying a huge premium, but I'm wondering if I should think about it, considering I have some pretty specific wishes.

Well...you do have a highly, highly specific want. Gotta be a particular year, gotta be a particular model, gotta be a particular colour. And, they don't make '74 anythings any more. And, this one's pretty much as close to new (and I'm guessing original) as you're going to find. And, what'll $4k or even $5k buy you on the used-car market nowtimes? Yes, it's difficult and galling to think of a '74 Dart (any '74 Dart) as a $4K car, but...well, my '62 Lancer was a $2750 car with 20k original miles in 1990, so extrapolate from there.

Is it worth it? Only you can decide. What would it take to start from a higher-miles/wrong-color/wrong-spec unit and build it the way you want it?

Can you afford it? Only you know.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

Dan -

Thanks for the perspective. It's almost always seems cheaper to find the thing closest to what you'd like already existing and not have to do much more work.

Ergo, I should spend what I have to, if I need to.

Thanks. Can I afford it? Not really. But will I find another that's exactly what I'd like? also, probably not.

Ugh

Evan

Well...............

I went the other way with El Toad, a $600.00 "runner" (outright lie) and I have a bit over $2000.00 more in to date getting it roadable. I looked it over in person and went in with my eyes open so this was no surprise. By the time I get it where I want it I'll have around $5000.00 total in'er. What would that buy today? Not much, and certainly nothing even close to my particular fetish.

Would I have spent the money on what I wanted had it been available? Well, I am anyway, just over a longer period of time (technically, I suppose it didn't help that what I want didn't actually exist in this form. I'd have had to do some building at any rate).

So I guess I'd echo Dan here. How close does it come to your fetish and how much would you spend getting there from another direction? That's about it if cash flow isn't a concern.

Another consideration might be of what value doing the work yourself is to you. For me it's as much the point as having the end product (perhaps more in the final analysis) but that's just me.

Not much help simply restating the obvious, eh wot?

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Sex, drags, and rock & roll.
Dick, 225% crazy.
Hobby (cars, that is) Photos link

yeah, I do agree with the boys here.

When I decided to get me another dodge, I was looking for something in particular. Reasonably (bad) restored units went for AR$ 15000... but I had my vision of the car I always dream of having so I got a AR$5000 car and so far I've spent $30000 getting it "close" to what I really want. But when I finish her, she'll be EXACTLY what I want out of my car and I get to having been monitoring the process and know first hand what kind of work has been done with my baby.

If I have found anything CLOSE to what I wanted, I wouldn't have had a hard time trying to figure out what to do: I'd just paid a little bit higher for getting a car closer to my "fetish"

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Juan Ignacio Caino

Please use e-mail button istead of PM'ing. I do log in sometimes but I'll be answering quicker thru e-mail.

Be careful if you don't put your eyes on the car before purchasing. My son and I discovered there are many scams out there during our recent quest for the dart project. Luckily no $ lost.

I'd bought vehicles on ebay before but this time when we went searching for a project car, fully 50% of the vehicles were scams. All of the scams included the seller having to ship the car, no local pickup. Wire the $, no cashiers check or cash. Beautiful pictures and descriptions.

We decided any purchase would be in person with payment only after a thorough inspection. We had to limit our searches to southwest airlines cities and vehicles that could be driven home.

It all worked out as the dart project is coming along well. We cut out the old floor pan this past weekend and installed the new one using the article from Mopar Muscle as a guide.

Good Luck!

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'72 Dart w/supersix, Grandfather, Father & Son project

I've got a buddy thinking about flying to Florida to look at a '71 Swinger because it may be in better shape than his '70. The '70 is not that bad IMHO, and the '71 is right at $4K too.

It all depends on what you are willing to pay.

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Official Cookie and Mater Tormentor.

Yeah, what he said. Back in the beforetimes, when there was no eBay and I didn't have the internet, I bought a '61 Valiant out of California. I didn't do my homework adequately, didn't go see the car, didn't have a known and trusted friend do the inspection, and wound up getting badly burned. The car wasn't anywhere near as advertised or photographed.

And I've sworn off eBay cars, pretty much. Got bitten a couple times, though I should've known better than to buy either of those two non-mopars.
Oh, OK, that's a little different; just out-and-out fraud! Yuck.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

Admittedly, what you guys are saying is good sound advice. Unfortunately, I don't have a resource in the area (northern VA) to check the car out for me, nor can I fly there to inspect it.

The guy has accepted my offer though which was a compromise on both our parts. We haven't discussed the payment terms yet, but I will be doing that soon.

Would people recommend I ask for an independent vehicle inspection report done on it? It would cost about $379, which is more than I'd like to tack onto the price of the car. I realize though, that it might be worth it.

Evan

*alarm bells go off* High stakes. Are you a gambler, much?
Or try to turn up someone who can do even just a reasonably open-eyed lookover to spot gross departures from the described/photographed condition. You don't necessarily need to know that the left front brake pad has only 3/32" width left on it, as long as you can get a reasonably cogent idea of whether the car overall is substantially as described.

If there is absolutely, positively no way this can be arranged, then I strongly urge you to write a contingency clause into the sales contract:

"Buyer and seller agree that if the vehicle is not substantially as represented in condition and mileage, buyer will receive a full and prompt refund of the vehicle's shipped price."

This, of course, only works if you have a written record and photos of claims made regarding the condition and mileage of the car. And, equally obviously, if the seller says "No way", then that idea's out.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

actually, i'm not a gambler at all. I'm realizing now I'm taking more of a chance than I'd like to without seeing the car in person. I'd better make a bit more of an effort to find someone who can check out the car for me. I think I'm just excited to find a car that matches what I'm looking for.

I'd be more than willing to write that clause into the contract, but I'd rather send someone to inspect it and just get a report back.

Anyone reading this post live in Northern Virgina?

Evan

Where specifically in Northern Virginia? I've got someone reliable who may be able to do it or have a friend who could.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

The car is in Woodbridge. The guy agreed to me writing up a small contract/deal memo for the car, so I think I'm covered there.

I live about 80-90 miles from Woodbridge in NW VA (used to live there in the mid 60s) and might be able to look the vehicle over. HOWEVER, I am currently visiting my son in the Netherlands and won't be back in the area until the week of the 22nd.
Don