Hi,

i have the chance to buy a 71 W30 in fairly good shape here in Europe. No rust; a nice repaint, new chrome…drives really good.

The bad: One guy who had it in the past did not know what he had and "improved" the car by replacing the carb with an Edelbrock, the intake with a Street dominator and replaced the seats with some Recaros. The current owner does not have these items anymore. The car has the red fenders and H-heads and i don't think this is a fake because nobody here gives a damn for a W30…

So what would it cost me to get the above mentioned items? (Can be reproductions)

What would a car like this be worth? As an alternative: What would it cost to get a decent W30 in the US?

Please share your wisdom!

Regards
Thomas

 

That's a broad question since different colours, options, condition all effect the price and also what somebody wants to pay whether it's worth it or not. It would be better to post lots of pics and stats on the vehicle you are looking at and the price the seller is requesting. I'm sure you'll get more opinions then. I can't comment on the value of those replacement parts but if you search in the parts section you'll likely get a history of each part's value. I'm sure there are not many W-30's there and it would be advisable to confirm it really is a W-30. Good luck!

 

Hi Thomas
Well, the first step would be to try and confirm its a real W30. Is there any paperwork with it? Does it have an automatic or standard transmission? If an automatic does it have the correct vin stamped on it and the OW tag? Seats would be easy to replace, but the intake and especially the carb will be expensive parts once you find them.


John

 

Hello Thomas, like others have said verifying it is real, namely a Broad Cast card would greatly influence its value. I have seen a restored 7041257 on Ebay recently and the starting bid was $995 which is correct for said car. The Parts Place reproduces the Intake, i believe around $700, you can Google there web site. There are many members on this site who may be able to help on these and other things. Hope this helps.

 

If there is no broadcast card or factory documents to prove it is a W-30 then the price will be much lower. The price can range far to much with not knowing more information. Just an example, I have two 70 W-30s. One mostly original with documents and the other with no original parts and no documents. The one car will be north of $50K when done. The other is in need of restoration but does run and drive. I can't even get $5K for it.

 

Did the '71 W30 have an aluminum intake?

 

All 70-72 W-30s had the aluminum intake.

 

Thank you for the infos Gentlemen. The car has an automatic transmission. I will check the tag. But i repeat that i don't think this car is a fake because here in Europe nobody knew about these cars. I really believe that at some point in the past some guys tried to improve the car and just threw away some factory parts….i understand that it is hard to give a value to a car you have never seen. Let me ask something you should know: What are the prices for W30s in the states? How much is good one how much is a driver quality example?

 

Hardtop or convertible?

 

Here is a link to Nada Classic car guide. I don't think many bring the right hand column. So it can range anywhere $15k - 28k as a driver. So lets say $28k is potential worth, a big deduction on that price is it being undocumented, then deduct for seats, intake, and carb, etc... Not having any pictures makes it tough to price as aesthetics means a lot.


http://www.nadaguides.com/Classic-Ca...p-Coupe/Values

 

It is a hardtop….i am asking all these questions to determine if it makes sense to buy it and upgrade all the missing parts or if i just wait and buy a finished car in the US…the guy wants 20 for it...

 

You can always low ball (say $15K max) so if you do get it you will feel much better about the purchase price. Remind him of the missing parts and always be prepared to walk away, there will be another one that you will just gotta have! Good luck.

 

The NADA price given by oldcutlass is not really accurate. A W30 package adds 25% to that price and if it's a 4spd that's another 5%. In any event, w/o documentation, it's value is much less. Anyone can stick the parts on a car and say it's a "real" W30...and many did that in the past (and still do it now!). It seems every 71 I see for sale is a W30 now.

 

Here are some pics…note that the stripes have been painted….but nicely.

 

More pics...

 

Closer…the engine bay and interior look not as new but OK…the biggest optical drawback are the seats, although they are very good and comfy.

 

Can't tell much from what I can see. A W30 should have red inner fenders on the front. They may have been painted black or undercoated, but I can't see them.

 

He wants 20US, Euro, Sterling?

 

First, the body looks very good, gaps look right in the pics and overall nice car. Value in the U.S., on a no rust original car...25k, although the mods might lower the final price..

 

Tough call, the only real issue I see is no documentation. It looks to be a decent car from the pictures. I know if you were to find a car here in the states and import it, the fees are very high. That one is already there.

 

He wants 20K Euro...but with all the shipping costs and duties a 20 K-dollar car from the US is a 20K-Euro-car when it is here. And i doubt that i could find a nice rustfree 442 wich runs, shifts, handles and stops very well for that money in the US. Plus it has the H-heads wich i could resell for quite some money if i did not believe it was a real W30...wich faker would get a set of those expensive heads and then ruin it with the wrong intake? It also has the red fenders. You can see them from the inside but i guess they have been undercoated from the underside...wich faker would do that? Iam pretty sure this is a legit W30 because there is no value for anyboy here to fake a W30 because nobody gives a ??? about 442s. The only old US-cars bringing really good money here are Mustangs, Corvettes and Mopars. Believe it or not i snatched up a nicely restored 1970 GTO RAIII convertible for 19K last year...

 

I have see that i could get the intake and the aircleaner assembly at the Parts place.

Where could i get a set of white bucketseats with headrests? I know that Legendary has the setacovers but do they also sell complete seats? I have a set of buckets from a 68 GTO - could they be converted or are they different?

 

I suggest backing up just a wee bit, is the VIN for a Lansing 442? The reason I ask is because the 4-4-2 spacing on the trunk doesn't look exactly correct, and I can't tell on the front fenders.

With the info we've been given, this could still be a Cutlass.
Steve

 

YOU may be convinced that this is a real W-30, but the next buyer probably won't be without paperwork or careful investigation.

If you love the car and are willing to pay the price, buy it! Just don't expect the next buyer to pay you a W-30 price.

 

Yes, you are right…i will never be able to prove that this is a real W30…so the question is what is the right price for a nice clone? I am guessing that it will take another 5k to get this car right and that 25K is still OK…the biggest question remains where to get a nice set of white bucketseats.

 

Gentlemen, i have made up my mind and bought the car...W30 yes or no does not really matter because nobody over here will pay a premium for a W30 anyway...

 

Congrats on the purchase! New toys are always fun. You can buy the parts to build new buckets, but that's really expensive. I think your best bet would be to purchase a set of core seats to rebuild, then get the seat covers, foam biscuits and whatever else to restore them. You'll need 1969-72 seats, they can come from any GM A-body car. I'd encourage you to create a parts wanted thread on this site to see if anybody on the East Coast has a set they'll sell you. If you strike out there ebay would be my second choice.

Real W30 or not when you get the car home and can crawl over it more please post more pictures for us to enjoy. John

 

Looks like a great car.There is still a chance that there is a braodcast card in there somewhere,but I have often found them inside the bucket seats,which are gone,so I wish you luck.I have a spare W30 intake,if you decide to pursue putting it back to original.

 

My plans are to get the intake, air cleaner assembly. valvecovers and seats to get it back to a stock look. So your intake would be interesting for me...is it original or a repro? How much would you want for it?

 

Here are a few pics of the "ugly" engine and the interior. What do you think?

 

I think it's great you bought the car, and that you have the right attitude about the value.

I'd do exactly what you said: valve covers, intake, OAI adapter, and front seats. Shouldn't take too much money.

Did someone install an aftermarket air conditioner? Or is that an oil cooler? What are your plans for that?

 

I see some real potential with it. You start a build post and a parts wanted list.

 

Looks great you must be ecstatic. My Uncle used to get my cousin to clean his white interior with baking soda paste and a tooth brush. The car always looked new.

Enjoy your new toy!

 

I'd also swap out the steering wheel for the factory 4 spoke sport wheel, just because that would look more correct. Dual gate, power windows, tilt floor shift column, what other options does it have?

Looking at the photos I also see the 4 row radiator and rear window defogger switch on the dash.

John

 

I have not picked up the car yet! I have just seen/driven it once and i have not asked too many questions because the owner basically does not know too much about the details….he had that car for 8 years but bought from some guys who did all the modifications…he still has the steering wheel but the horn button and switch are gone…of course that will be taken care of. I guess i will leave the tach though not original. If this is an oil cooler i guess i will leave it in. It is better for the engine and if i ever sell and the next guy is a "museum"-type collector he can still take it out….i plan to drive this car…hard!


…i have the feeling with a little bit of elbow grease and the right parts this could be turned into a real gem…and although i can not prove it i still find i highly likely that this car is genuine…i mean who would try to fake a 442 for a W30 and then ruin it with those seats, intake, steering wheel, air cleaner, etc.??

This car comes originally from Switzerland and many people do not know that GM had a factory there until the 70ties. The rich swiss people were often driving american cars. The swiss government and ambassadors were using Cadillacs until the 80ties. I found my SD 455 Trans am in Switzerland. It would not surprise me if this car had been ordered with all the goodies, driven there for a few years and then being bought up by some young punks as a cheap thrill machine which they wanted to "tune"…at least the last owner invested in the cosmetics with a nice paint job, chrome, etc.

Anyway i guess that it will be a nice car for a reasonable amount of money…

….i just have to control myself not getting into the "improvement" spiral and leaving it stock….

 

A set of bucket seats from any GM A body from 1969-1972 will work, then you can order the necessary covers from Legendary.

 

I think it was a fair deal with the desirable options I see. Of paint is real nice I say score! Legendary sell all done seats. They are ready to bolt in. I think around $1800 a pair. With the right stuff on it it would make a nice car. Does block match the vin and what does the body tag say for a plant? European? or lansing?

 

I will check all the numbers when i get the car….hopefully next friday. But since i now consider it a fake the numbers are not important anyway….;-)

I could very well be that this car was delivered in parts to switzerland and has been assembled there. If this is true it should have a "GM suisse"-sign somewhere. These cars were put together in Switzerland to higher standards and received undercoating from the factory, etc….we will see.

 

All W30 Olds were built in Lansing, the likely hood of it being a Knock Down kit delivered to Switzerland is very remote as GM did this in batches. All the export Cutlasses and 442's I have heard of were always US or Canada built for export.
You have a lot of indicators of it being a real W30 or one converted before with went overseas. Consider spending the $45.00 to run the serial number through GM Canada. If it was sold new in Canada they will have the info.

Paul

 

Paul, thanks for the info. I will check the VIN as soon as i have the car...