Re: [BaadAssGremlins] RE: Blue 74 304 Hornet X on eBay....values

[AMC74HORNET@xxxxxxxxx]

I myself was looking for an AMC daily driver to replace my 77 Malibu
when I bought the orange car. I had looked at Gremlin's, Hornet's,
Matador's over the last 2-3 years. Being disabled and with health issues
I wanted a car that was running which I could repair or have repaired as
I drove it, I like driving m cars. After driving GM beaters for drivers
for 25 years I wanted a nice AMC for a driver. Being retired/disabled I
only drive maybe 1,500-2,000 miles a year on my Malibu and my yellow
Hornet. Since now I have the orange car the Malibu has been relegated to
a spare car the me and my son use. We have 6 cars between us and are the
only 2 drivers in the house. 5 of the 6 cars are licensed and
registered. 
4 of the 6 are AMC's. As far as labor goes since I cannot do a lot of
the heavy work any more I keep a journal of parts and labor costs. Off
the top of my head I believe that out of that 3,500$ I spent for repairs
there is only 1,200$ in actual labor costs. The two shops that done most
of the work for me were more than happy when I suppled the parts. It
made it easier for them not to have to track down parts for a 30 year
old AMC. The big expenditure has been parts. Why replace only the bad
front end parts when you have it apart replace them all and be done with
it? Front end parts alone were around 500$. Brakes, it needed 2 new
drums and 2 rotors. While it was apart all the brake parts were replaced
including the master cyl, calipers, hoses and hand brake cables, there's
another 500$. Add the rebuilt radiator, water pump, hoses, belts, wires
and all the tune up parts, heater core and other upgrades like the Delco
bolt in fiasco, a rebuilt carb and a complete exhaust system and you
have another 500$. I already had a new muffler and a slightly used rear
pipe in my garage. 380$ for a new set of BFG T/A radial tires. The
remaining 3-400$ for AMC specific parts bought from AMC owners and
venders comes to around the 2,300$ price. Oh I also get al my AMC
mechanical parts at a mechanic's discount and pay no tax on them so I
saved money big time here. I also had spare parts I needed for this car
in my garage already like a NOS fuel tank sender, heater control valve
cable. I also had the car re-keyed since it had a GM not AMC ignition
switch. The car had a separate key for the doors and ignition. Since I
am never selling this car when I had it re-keyed I had the locks keyed
to the yellow car so I didn't have to have one more set of car keys on
my key ring. Friends gave me some other parts I needed. My AMC friend
charged the A/C for me for nothing. So unless you are just going to
patch it up versus repair it you are still going to spend some serious
money on parts even if you do the labor yourself. Cosmetic items like
interior parts and upholstery that I have bought are not figured in the
repairs, neither is the AMX flairs and rear louver. My yellow car was
well maintained all its life so I never had to spend this kind of money
on it at one time. So the price of labor was not that big an issue with
me, it would be with the average Joe because he would not only have to
pay the labor but the mark up on the parts too. This is why I say the
blue  car is a money pit. Rust repair and body work can cost as much or
more than the mechanical repairs and we haven't even gotten to the
interior yet. I do all the interior work myself except for the
upholstery on the seats. 
"Doc"



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--- Begin Message ---

• From: "John W Rosa" <JohnRosa@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
• Date: Sat, 9 Oct 2004 09:20:39 -0400

-----Original Message-----
From: AMC74HORNET@xxxxxxxxx [mailto:AMC74HORNET@xxxxxxxxx]

Along with the mechanical issues this car has it has I
figure is in need of just as much or more money to fix
the body and interior. That's why I still say if 1,000$
is the reserve it is to much. Lets see what the final
sale price is. I stand behind what I say on the price.
<snip>
The moral of the story is to buy someone's partially
completed project that has a lot of the work done and
comes with a pile of parts and or a parts car to complete
it. Sometimes you can luck out and get it for 10-50 cents
on a dollar when the owner looses interest or needs money
or the oldest story in the book, the girlfriend or wife
says it has to go!!!!!! 
"Doc"

========================

I agree with the basics of your view, and would tell anyone
that the best route to a nice AMC is to put together as much
$$ up front as you can and buy the best-condition car you
can afford. It's tough enough just to maintain. Restoring is
always a money-losing operation (unless it's an SS/AMX or
AMX/3...good luck there).

But I'm looking at this ebay car somewhat differently.

First, of the $3500 you've spent on your orange car since
buying it for $500, how much of that went to pay for pro-
fessional labor? If it's a significant amount, it's likely
due to your health which is understandable, but most
hobbyists do as you did in the past- working on things
themselves. Subtracting labor, what parts costs do you have
in the car? [Not knocking at all...just working the numbers]

Second, a knocking 304 is, to me, a blessing, as it's an
invitation to upgrade to a 360 or 401...and doing it for
this body or another mint one costs the same. There are
lots of guys out there converting 258-cars to V8 power.
This car starts ahead of the game there.

Third, parts cars need not come with the project car. They
can be found dirt cheap, often. Heck, Davis in CT has a
great $200 low-mileage donor. How many battered Matadors
are out there with strong 360s begging for a lighter body
to call home?

Fourth, when looked at as 'parts only', this car still has
$500+ in V8-specific parts before you consider things like a
good windshield, black interior pieces, rally wheels, Levis
trim, a good trans and so on.

Fifth, worst case, it's a donor itself for a less-hurting
6-cylinder hatchback- essentially a good 're-body' project.
Or create a '1 of none' '74 Hornet X sedan! Move all the good
stuff to Davis' $200 sedan. You'll be at $1200 and needing a
good 360 motor. watch eBay for one of the $300 Mat wagons,
and viola...a $1500 '74 SC/360...almost. :)

The thing about this car that worries me is the same as any
Pennsy car...the rust. I've gotten several cars out of PA-
all had frame rot. They must use bionic road salt or something
out there.
Rust ain't cheap to repair and just about never sleeps or dies.
It keeps coming back (in my experience).

To me, a $1000 reserve is, while not a 'steal', perfectly
reasonable and in line with the car's parts value. Sure, we
often find cars in similar shape or better, for much less.
But that's the 'steal' and bargain that we've gotten used to
as AMCers. As the buyer, we want more for less. But imagine
this car is in your own driveway, and you need to sell it.
How fast are you giving it away for $500? Not me (unless that
wife factor pops up..but that's a commandment, not a normal
sale). ;)


John


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