Well, Dan pointed this one out and is only about 50 miles away from me...
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Oldsm...3A1|240%3A1318

I have been wanting to have a VC as a daily driver.
Ironically the top exterior paint color and the interior colors are the same as Lady's...
It looks like a repaint might be in this car's future, as well as an interior makeover. However, it looks good as a daily driver as it, sans rust that will need immediate attention.

However I dislike the front bench seat with no armrest, the faded woodgrain, and the mileage of the 455 in the city. The A/C would need prompt service. I would need a set of good matching wheels - the Cragars do not come with it.
What mileage do you folks get in the city with a 455?

If the price is right, I might want to fix it up a little, drive it for a while, then sell later if it does not work out for me. Space at my place is at a premium and this thing would have to live outside (not nice).
If I keep the VC and want to restore it, the '86 Olds and 97 Caddy would need to go.

What do you guys think this is worth as is?
Decisions, decisions... Thanks Dan!

 

I'm going to change my username to:

Where'sTheFramePics?

What I see looks good.

here's a restoration option: http://www.stationwagon.com/gallery/...a_Cruiser.html
http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2...iser-pace-car/


-the REV

 

Not a bad idea - I knew if I got it and had it painted, the woodgrain and side trim would get stripped off.
Luckily, it is closeby so that i could look at it before paying...
Little risk there!

 

I really like these wagons when they're fixed up! If you check it out in person look over the top glass real well. So many of them rusted out there. John

 

Judging by the sellers username I bet he would give you a get deal if you went over there and said. " Hey Bubba, I don't know about you but I sure am glad we got a President that wants to do something about getting guns off the street. We sure will have a safer nation without them"

 

Well what would rob come up with for his new vanity plate????

oh I know LOL....

 

Cool car, I warn you now that car will be a major money pit. Figure double everything on wagon bodies. This will be tough to estimate a price on, 455 Vistas don't come up for sale often and every guy with a 442 and a trailer wants them for the ulti-mint (in your case) matching tow vehicle. I would check for rust very carefully around the roof windows, side glass, behind the rear bumper, usual areas, the D pillars look a little funky too.Those things all can be bad but the car looks about like mine was and it wasn't bad once I got the trim off. I would be looking at it seriously if I lived close by and had money. I would take my trim tool if I were really serious to check it out real good for rust. I would like a three seater 455 someday to pull my old dude citizen camper but I would settle for that baby, and it isn't green.
The interior doesn't look too bad, those seats may be repairable and the cargo covers don't look too bad, otherwise more big bucks.
If it had a 350 it would be worth maybe 2-3K at the most to me in that condition. That car may go for 4-5K? just guessing. It all depends on how much it originally having a 455 is worth and the condition.
There are some good deals on clean Vista Cruisers around but the shipping premium makes them out of range here, being close is a way to justify spending more if it's clean, but wait...you have nobody to convince. Depends how bad you want it, you have nothing better to spend your money on anyway and the economy needs stimulating, go for it. I take no responsibility for anything later so don't blame me. There are three ways to lose friends, loan money, borrow money, give advice on car purchases.
It would be nice to buy and make sure it's roadworthy then give a good deal to a good buddy old pal (like me) later (with financing) when you find out it gets about 7 miles per gallon. The things are notorious for getting really bad mileage but I really don't know? What does your 4-4-2 get? just divide that in half. I have a stock 350 2 barrel and I'm afraid to check mine, I just put gas in it. I know my GTO gets better mileage going by trips to the gas station.

 

Eddie, you've got some explaining to do. Either you are confusing me or you are using words too complicated for me to understand...
If I got the VC, it would prolly get the name "big mama" or something like that...

All cars are money pits - the wagons will just be more.

Yea, that is what I am afraid of - rust, bidy work, and paint. I do not have any body experience or a place to park the car while i work on it... Sadly, I have the $$, but not the space and not as much time either.

Value sounds about right. If I got it, I would like to get it roadworthy and make it a reliable daily driver. I should be able to sell again if I need to.


I would be mad at you either way, so I should just pick one... J/K
I may love it then regret it, or regret not getting it at all...

Lady gets 19 on the highway, so 7 city with a 455 sounds right. Not sure if that would make a good daily driver tho. It would be great for embarassing "sports car" drivers when they get dusted by a big old woody station wagon!
Dang - I got myself between a rock and a hard place on this!

 

And to think I thought he was a cop, shooting X and K band radar guns!

 

Rob just come out and say you're going to buy it then I can stop mentaly preparing my trip to TX to pick that thing up

 

I was looking at it closer and I want it too. If I was still looking I would really consider it after checking it out personally or have a pro do it, spent a few hundred on inspectors out west before I found mine. I'm just lucky mine was in Wisconsin and the other guy took the shipping hit from Caleefornia. Mine had a few pinholes in the storage compartment and the same exact fender rust spots, a lot more sun fading, rust dpots but het were just on the surface. The storage compartments are repo'd but that looks like it could be fixed. The bumper may have pushed into thet right lower section and knocked the sealer off and that rust formed looking closer. Probably has an extra housing because when the bumper gets pushed in it bends the pot metal in on the bottom of the housing, should be rubber pieces on the bumper edge there but they always fall off. I wonder what rear it has? I don't see a hitch? usually people got those to drag something. The rear seat looks like it's been folded down forever, those marks should come out if the vinyl isn't brittle,the inerior looks amazingly good actually.
I have a real nice tailgate Vista Cruiser emblem I could donate if that helps any.

 

It wasn't easy I was thinking of a way to spell out Ménage à trois

I thought Menag "eight" trois... ummmmm a threesome... ohhhhhhhhhhhh never mind LOL....



I really do dig that wagon I would love it with the OAI hood too...

 

I had to look that one up - you are using words too big for my little mind... Oh, it was French - thats why!
Could be fitting, but inTX, plates are limites to only 7 characters...

Last summer I almost bought a gold 1970 Cutlass wagon (non VC) that was a W31. Nice, but needed bodywork, a new interior and did not have A/C (the main reason I passed on it.) It drove strong for a 350 pushing over 4000 lbs!

 

I have enough trouble "menage" - ing the one I've had for 30 years. Like I manage anything anyway.
The Vista does have a nice big rear but how can it even compete when Lady has her top down.

The 3-fiddy is a powerful engine, I had my wife drive the Vista and she's scared of the unbelievably massive amounts of torque.
"It's too fast and soooo long!"

Here are a few Craigslist finds for comparison. I really would like to see more pics of the last one but it's a flat top. The green one in Minneapolis was recently being discussed on ROP and had some interest. The car has been on since last year and looks really nice, surprised it's still around, too bad it's green.

http://atlanta.craigslist.org/cto/1082134735.html
http://atlanta.craigslist.org/cto/1082124766.html
http://denver.craigslist.org/cto/1074581201.html
http://lasvegas.craigslist.org/cto/1065848478.html
http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/cto/1056704882.html
http://sacramento.craigslist.org/cto/1079313956.html
http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/cto/1083202812.html
http://kansascity.craigslist.org/ctd/1085877970.html

 

Well, the guy emailed me back and said he will not be around any of Saturday so i could go look at the car...
Therefore, I think my game plan is to try to go there after the auction ends and it has not sold. I am guessing there is a 4-5K reserve on it.
If he makes it too difficult for me to look at it, then I will pass.

I really want to see how bad the rust really is around the windows and in the 1/4s. This thing will have to live in the driveway until Lady is done and i can store her elsewhere for a while. I do not want the VC to rot like swiss cheese either. It does need a paint job, so it will eventually need to be stripped. It will need to be inside, then. Yes, i am still kicking myself for buying this small a house / garage / lot... No way to make anything bigger, either...

 

Didn't hit reserve at $3300, your're probably about right on the reserve Rob.
I e-mailed and asked for kicks when it was first listed but he never responded. I showed it to my wife then looked at her with puppy dog eyes and she smacked me with a newspaper and threw me out of the house.

Weird that he couldn't let you just look at the car anyway?
I would have driven it to your house or met halfway at the least.

 

After my initial plan to go see the car on Sat. was declined, I had replied back (that was four days ago) asking if I could come see the car later on if it did not sell. I got no replies. I never implied that something could be hidden, just that I wanted to see what kind of project i was getting into... I never even suggested a test drive.
All I can say is that if a seller will not allow you to come see something before you commit to buy it (esp. a car!), something is being hidden. With his mentality, no wonder it did not sell.
It was a nice looking wagon for sure...
However, i check measurements yesterday and it would not even fit in my garage if the other cars came out. The wagon is 14" longer than the 'vert'... Lloks like i would need a bigger garage before i could do a wagon project. I would really like one that had a good exterior and would pay extra for someone else's work.

 

the one in MN is really nice - even if it's green , $3700 seems pretty darned reasonable. I really like the '67 in CO

 

This one is cool. Haggle on the price and sell the hood and you could probably do it for about 10 grand. The exhaust is out the rear, big no-no with wagons. The white on the hood looks funky IMO, but the compass on the dash all makes up for it.
Rare cloth seat is new to me, have to look into that. A lot of them have just power door locks. There must have been some sort of option package or something then, maybe they came with the rare cloth front seat?

The older I get the more I want one of those wood bead seat cover things and a compass for my dash?

It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown.

http://www.cars-on-line.com/40066.html

 

Now were talkin!!! some lady got her top down and she's gotta sister with a big rear.....


ohhhhhhhhhh wait, never mind .... sorry my eyes are hard of hearing LOL....

 

Thats an interesting way to look at it!
You guys crack me up...

Still no response from the seller so I decided to pass. I could just imagine the cat fights that could occure with that new addition anyway. I am dealing with enough (human) lady problems as it is...