Hey all I'm new to the forum. I am considering buying a 1971 442 W30. I have been looking for a while and this car seems to be the perfect storm for me for many reasons. A bunch of little things happened and this car fell into my lap. I am a car enthusiast, but not a mechanic. The car I'm talking about is a beautiful car in beautiful condition. I am going to bring a mechanic in to see if it's numbers matching as the owner said when he bought the car the motor was rebuilt. He is not 100% sure if the motor is the original motor. Not sure about the transmission either. I don't know this guy so I err on the side of caution. He has owned this car for 5 years and put about 4,000 miles on her. I searched the Vin and came up with just basic info. The owner has no documentation on the car. Either way it is a beautiful ride, just not sure if it's worth $40k if it's not a real deal 442 W30. This is a big purchase for me so I'd hate to get taken advantage of. There are a handful of little things wrong with the car, but nothing major I can see.
The gear selector is a Hurst auto. In order to get it in drive you have to pass Drive to get it into gear, then slide the shifter and lock it into D. The AC was upgraded to 134a, but does not blow cold. The fan for the AC does not work on high, I believe he said it needs a new resistor. The hood has a few small cracks near the front of the scoops. He said that was common on these cars because of the fiberglass.
The key sometimes will not pull out of the ignition so he showed me how to turn the steering column to release the key. He said he had gotten a few flats on a long ride as the tire valves are from China and not good quality. Anyone have anything on that? Otherwise just waiting on my mechanic to check it out.
I would love any feedback anyone has. I think there were a few other small problems but again nothing major. It is an older restoration but looks beautiful.
I have tried doing some research on these cars but I am not the best with computers not research. Lol. I'm getting old!!!
I am not sure of my next move. Do i hire a car consultant to check this out before I bring my mechanic in? Or is there another route I should take. Thank in advance!!!! I know this is long winded but I am excited and nervous at the same time as this is a big purchase for me.

 

The first 3 digits on the VIN is everything. If it starts 344 its the real deal as far as being a 442 goes.

 

There are many things to look for if you are paying a W30 price. 344 as mentioned, H heads on a 455 aluminum intake, red inner fenders, fiberglass hood with metal underside, OW trans, Lansing build car, matching block with vin on block....

 

H heads for a 1971 W30,

Contact Steve Minore - he is an expert on these cars.

Buyer beware!

 

Yes. It is a 344. It's the W30 thing that confuses me. Is it a big deal if it's not a W30?

 

It has the red fender wells. Fiberglass hood. Lansing built. The other things will have to be checked by the mechanic. Thank you!!

 

Yes if you are paying a W30 price, without solid verification of it being a W30 or if W30 items are no longer there the price goes down.

 

Yes, unless your just paying for a 442.

Not sure what the actual value is, 442 vs W30 but I would guess the W30 in the same condition may be worth twice as much.

W30 is the holy grail of Oldsmobile performance.

 

I can't comment on a lot of the other stuff, but I do know about this:
That sounds like a common issue with the floor shifter linkage not being adjusted correctly, which is not at all unusual with the Dual Gate shifter as those are more finicky than the regular floor shifter. It's not a difficult adjustment, but a lot of trial and error to get the correct alignment so the shifter span from Park to L is correct and the backdrive linkage lets the steering column collar rotate the right amount.

We can walk you through it if/when the time comes.

There is also an inline fuse for the high speed fan that could be blown or the fuse holder may be corroded. Very common issue with these cars and extremely easy to correct.

 

Contact Steve before you put any money down. If you want, PM me and I will send you his cell#.

 

A real, correct, documented 71 W30 is worth 3x or 4x the price of a non-W 442. Today, pretty much every 1970-72 442 (and most Faux-Four-Twos) is a "W30".

 

Besides looking for the correct H heads and OW trans, you also want to check for the correct distributor number and carb number. W30's are very easy to fake, so do your due diligence. Could mean a $15K to $20k difference in price.

 

Looks nice congrats!
all common /easy problems definitely not a W30 price.
unless it needed complete resto maybe.
start by checking "H" for heads probably just a 442 with added stuff.
Take a good look around the vinyl top for bumps and rust!

 

Ok, and I am trying to be kind here, I want to say that up front. You're admittedly not a "car guy," but you like them. That's cool. You also showed the smarts to go, "hey, wait a second" and to come seeking help to here, and we are the best classic olds resource. You are so far ahead above people that got taken, so this is good. They are trying to take you for a ride. I would bet $100 that is not a real, numbers matching w-30.

Here are my reasons.
1. Owner is not 100% sure if it is original engine. You know these things unless you just have more money that brains. Translated "It's not the original engine, and we are not going to lie to you, but we will let youn believe whatever you want." Same thing on the trans. These, fortunately, are easily checkable.
2. 40k is a steal for a numbers matching 71 442 W-30 hardtop in #2 shape. 40k is a good price for a normal 442 in that condition. 80 is more like it for a 442 W-30 that year, that shape.

Both of these are being done so you buy the car, and if you ever come back on them, they can say we never claimed it was numbers matching original, and if it were, we would've charged double. He obviously knew because he agreed to pay such a low price.

3. There is no documentation.

There are some W-30 parts on there, but it doesn't seem like the real deal. Check the heads, check the axle code, check the carb, check whatever else is recommended. You can confirm 442 easily, numbers matching easily, but not W-30 easily. Unless every little number checks out, I would walk and find an honest 442.

 

In 71 were all w-30 built in Lansing? Would be something else to check.

 

All W30 W31 from 66 to 72 were built in Lansing, along with the 69 W32's

 

So were a boatload of non-W30s. It's necessary but not sufficient.

 

Regardless, OP has confirmed that it's a Lansing build.

 

I didn't think AC was an available option on the W30 in 1971......

 

That is great. Thank you and will do!!

Gotcha. I agree. I couldn’t really find good stuff on what made the W30 so special. Again, I am not the best researcher. Thanks!

I will definitely need to speak to the right people. Thank you.

That is great. I appreciate it. Thank you.

I will do. Thank you!!

I have a lot to learn. Thank you!

I don’t really need to be overpaying that much. It is a clean beautiful ride. But the less expensive the better. Thank you.

Thank you Johnny!! The vinyl top has no bubbles and looks amazing. The owner said they restored the car over 10 years ago.

Koda, I appreciate you taking the time to help me out, and for being straight up. That is the only way for me to learn.
You all have been great. Thank you for all your input and knowledge!!
My mechanic and I are going to be getting busy soon!!
i would really hate to have W30 badging on a car that is not a W30. If that’s the case and I buy the car, the badging needs to go.

 

The red fender liners look like repos. A/C was available with the auto trans only, which this car has. With no docs, buyer beware.

 

100% correct. He said the car was restored years ago before he had it and the reds are new. He said they are a good quality as opposed to the ones in the old days. Once I get people to look at it I will hopefully know better!!!

 

That is a 442 dressed to be a faux W30.

I would not buy it based upon what the seller said. It's dishonest.

 

Here's a few things to add on this car (I did some research for Frank the other day, as he's good friends w/ us)- maybe this will help out here:
The vin indicates it is a 442, as it's a 344 Vin. I also did some cowl tag decoding It's a hardtop coupe built in Lansing. Built first week of Dec 1970 ( Im not sure, but i remember something about W30s only being built during certain time periods, I'm not super versed in 71s). Original color was Ebony black with a black vinyl top and black bucket seats.

I agree w/ others this is a faux w-30, at that price I wouldn't think it was a real w30.
Just curious what you guys think the values of 71 442s are because I've been seeing them all over the place from 20k-110k.

 

Thank you Lesah!! I appreciate all the help. I really hope I can become part of this great family soon. I don't think it is a real W30 either. I don't really care about that. I dig the color and the car. I don't think the motor is numbers matching but I'll find out soon. Then it's to try and find out what's it's worth if it is a numbers matching vs non numbers matching.
There are a lot of W30 parts on there, but dress up is easy. I'm on a BIG learning curve here!!! Lol. I thank everyone for their help and PM's. This Forum is awesome.

 

It's condition specific. If that car is as nice as it looks in the picture, a 442 in that condition is a #2 car which should be worth around 40k. A truly stellar, perfect, museum piece #1 car would be about 55k. A good shape weekend car show #3 car would be 25k or so.

If that car were honestly presented, and had no fake w-30 parts on it, and was a straight 442, I'd say it's worth probably 35 or so and I'd start at 25k and come up to 30k then walk.

 

Perfect!!!! Thank you Koda.

 

Is the car in the Syracuse area?

 

No. This one is in Westchester County. Is there one for sale up there too?

 

No, I know someone that has one and was wondering if he was selling it.

 

I got the car. As far as I know it's a super clean 442. I will have the car checked out one day to see if it is in fact it is a W30. I don't think it is a W30. The 442 price is way better than the W30 price.
Either way, I love it.

 

Sweet!, Congrats

 

That's a nice car. As long as you went in with your eyes open, I don't see how you can be disappointed.

 

What's the thing hanging off the rear view mirror?

 

It looks to be a plumb bob of some sorts

 

Thanks Johnny. I am loving the car. It's a pain in the *** to register it in NY. Just waiting on the registration.

For some reason the guy before me hung his water bottle from the mirror. I never asked why, I just threw it out. Lol
Thank you. Exactly. My mechanic checked it out and spent a lot of time with it on his lift. He said it's a very solid very in very good shape. Some little stuff to do too it, but nothing major. I am stoked about this ride. I waited a long time to find the perfect car for me.

 

Cool! enjoy it. lets see some more pics of engine and stuff.

 

@scrappie thank you!

 

Congrats Frank and welcome tot he family!! Can't wait to see her!! Btw, we will be at bellmore tonight..come see Charlotte.. prob getting there about 4:30.

 

im gonna guess he hung it there due to the lack of cup holders in the car