1967 Thunderbird w/Suicide doors

[V8 Cat]

Re: 1967 Thunderbird w/Suicide doors

In 2002 Hemmings Motor News picked the 1967 to 1969 Thunderbirds as one of their writer's " Sleeper " choices as good candidates for an explostion in poularity in years to come. Leroy

Leroy,

Were the 4doors included in that article? From what I have seen in the B-J and other auctions, 4door models are worth significantly less than the 2door coupes and convertibles.

[Leroy]

Re: 1967 Thunderbird w/Suicide doors

V-8Cat, I don't know, it doesn't say one way or the other. The production numbers for the three T-Bird models produced in 1967 were; Tudor Hardtop, Painted metal roof, available in two tone paint ( Very Rare ) 15,567 Built, Tudor Landau, Vinyl roof, S bars, the most popular and least advertised model, 37,422 Built, and the Fordor Landau, Vinyl roof, S bars, and Suicde doors, 24,967 Built. This car, even if it's not restorable becuase of a bad frame should be well worth the asking price just for the parts on the car that are still good. Leroy

[Ol'Dave]

Re: 1967 Thunderbird w/Suicide doors

With all that is said above. Refering back to post #1's question: Would this be a worthwhile Investment? Probably not. More so of a money pit. But it would be a fun project worthy of a challenge. You would probably only get back whatever you put into it after a very lengthy project. But if you got the place, space, and time, and of course an extra flow of dollar's, to me it would be a worthwhile project to undertake. But I doubt the word investment would ever fit the equation.

[RustyFrye]

Re: 1967 Thunderbird w/Suicide doors

I'll be away for a few days, but when I return I'll make an effort to get to see it and hopefully post some pictures.

[BirdsAndBugs]

Re: 1967 Thunderbird w/Suicide doors

With all that is said above. Refering back to post #1's question: Would this be a worthwhile Investment? Probably not. More so of a money pit. But it would be a fun project worthy of a challenge. You would probably only get back whatever you put into it after a very lengthy project. But if you got the place, space, and time, and of course an extra flow of dollar's, to me it would be a worthwhile project to undertake. But I doubt the word investment would ever fit the equation.

Your statements are pretty accurate Dave. While we hear about the big figures from the Barrett Jackson auctions on the extreme rarities; generally you're lucky to just break even. Here's some of my recent classic car history.

1968 Buick Riviera: Purchased for $2,900. Paint, interior, mechanically repaired and tuned up; but not a full restoration. Investment totalled $7,900; sold for $8,000.

1969 Volkswagen Beetle: Purchase for $1,000. Full restoration. Investment totalled $8,000 in 1999; sold in 2008 for $6,500.

1974 Volkswagen Beetle: Purchased for $900. Performed mechanical repairs and some general clean-up. Total investment was $1,200; sold for $1,500.

1963 Volkswagen Beetle: Car was given away by Disney and KLOS radio as it was a Herbie movie car used in the 1997 Wonderful World of Disney TV movie remake of "The Love Bug" starring Bruce Campbell. Purchased for $3,000 from the winner of the car. Spent $8,000 on engine, interior, suspension, rust repair, and all electrical. Basically did everything but did not paint the car. Total investment was $11,000; sold car for $13,000.

1925 Ford Model T: Purchased this car which had been restored about 10 years prior for $6,500. Made minor mechanical repairs during the time I owned it. Total investment was $6,800; sold for $7,000.

1963 Volkswage Beetle: Purchased this car which was a 2 year old restoration for $7,000. Enjoyed for a few years during which time only minor repairs made. Total investment was $7,100; sold for $6,800.

I consider myself pretty fortunate though. I've bought, owned, and enjoyed these vehicles from 1 to 10 years. As you can see though, overall the difference between my investment and what I eventually sold it for wasn't that great. The car that I took the biggest loss on was my 1969 Beetle which was $1,500 and I got 10 years of enjoyment out of that car.

Sure, none of these cars were magazine quality Concours cars. I would classify most of them as good to extremely nice drivers. Most would receive compliments and often would pick up trophies at local classic car shows. They were fun to own but none were great investments when you look back at them.

At least they weren't depreciating assets like our new Thunderbirds.
That's OK since I consider them lifetime acquisitions.

[Leroy]

Re: 1967 Thunderbird w/Suicide doors

BirdsandBugs, I've found that to make money on a car, first of all you have to buy it right. You have to know what you can get for it down the road, and know what you're going to have put into it to get that price and then buy it right. To make money on restoring an old car is a labor of love, if you pay someone else to do all the work you'll never make any money. But there are exceptions, the last 1967 Corvette built was found in a barn in Arizona. It still had the original numbers matching engine and drive train. It was bought and completly restored to the original condition and sold at B-J auctions for 500K. I've bought and sold two Vets and always made money on them. Presently I have a 1948 Willys CJ2A I've been tinkering with for the last 3 years. I know I could sell it today for almost twice what I have in it. I can't hardly go anywhere in it with out someone asking if it's for sale. Leroy

[Ol'Dave]

Re: 1967 Thunderbird w/Suicide doors

Leroy. I hope it isn't!!

[BirdsAndBugs]

Re: 1967 Thunderbird w/Suicide doors

BirdsandBugs, I've found that to make money on a car, first of all you have to buy it right. You have to know what you can get for it down the road, and know what you're going to have put into it to get that price and then buy it right. To make money on restoring an old car is a labor of love, if you pay someone else to do all the work you'll never make any money.

I agree. Restoring an old car is definitely a labor of love. You have to really want the finished product to justify the time and expense. My point was that I've owned and enjoyed a number of old vehicles and the overall cost of ownership was fairly small and in some cases I made a couple of bucks.

Sometimes I've found the hard part is knowing what the investment will be. The former movie car I had was like that as once I got into it I found it needed a lot more work than I originally thought. As to doing the work, I think my situation is pretty common. I'm a decent backyard mechanic but few people can totally effect a restoration by themselves. Typically I've used professional help for paint and upholstery work; but I have occassionally enlisted assistance for engine or electrical work as well when it was beyond my skill level.

[AntarcticDave]

Re: 1967 Thunderbird w/Suicide doors

I bought my 47 Cadillac coupe for $7,500 and have put about $30k in the restoration over 7 years. It's worth about $35k right now, so not doing too bad value-wise. I didn't buy her to make money. I love the design, and wanted to bring the car back to life and enjoy it. I still have maybe $4k in work to do eventually, but each year the value is going up by around 10%. Looking back, it would have been cheaper to pay $24k for a restored car, but then I get to feel good about bringing this one back to life.