Hi all,

I've been the proud owner of a 1972 Pontiac LeMans as per my sig. I've had the car since 9/1998 and I believe I am the second owner. While the car has been a great part of my life for many years, there is a growing part of me that is "over it".

A little about the car. It originally came with a 350/2bbl motor and TH350 with 2.56 posi. Back in 2008, I found it more economical to build a 400 and beef up the TH350. The car runs great and is a hoot to drive. I definitely still enjoy driving the car, but don't get to but more than once a month. Being a family man now, a 2-door car is a royal PITA to deal with. I'm pretty time-starved these days. On top of that, it's an East Coast NON-AC car. It's pretty much worthless to drive for about 5 months out of the year.

The car was repainted in 2004. Thanks to an extremely careless upholstery guy (when trimming the vinyl top around the belt line, the a$$hole cut through my paint) , I have some rust forming around the lower vinyl top trim. The top was done in 2005, but the rust only started to show in 2009 or 2010. He's since retired. It's not serious enough to perforate the metal, YET. On top of that, I'm seeing some bubbling up in the typical GM A-Body areas around the lower fenders and quarter panels. The paint on the flexible bumper is cracked, too.

I could sell it as-is, but I think I'd be lucky to get 5-6k for it. Not enough.

To get the paint and body straightened out first is an option, but spending thousands (I'm guessing easily 4-6k) to sell the car for possibly 8-10k seems like a bad idea.

I have thought about learning to paint the car myself. It's an option that would take a long time, but save a lot of money.

Lately, I'm growing more reluctant to spend money on some upgrades I've always wanted (A/C, 3.23 gears, etc). Money isn't tight yet, but I'm worried it will be.

I could go on, but I wanted to throw some feelers out there and see if anyone here has been in my shoes and what they did. For now, I plan to drive the car and enjoy it, but I know I will need to address the issues it has at some point.

I can post some pictures of the car, including the rusted areas, if anyone wants to see them.

Thanks!

 

I had a 72 Lemans with a 350 in
it back in the day. Dark evergreen with
evergeen interior. Bought it for $50,
put a flexplate in it, drove it for 6 mnts.
Then sold it for $650. Best Lemans I ever
had. Turned around and bought a 73 442
with the cash.

A GTO is one thing, a Lemans another.
If it's time to turn it loose, cut it loose.
Good luck with your decision.

 

Henry, as the more country of my co-workers puts it, "It ain't eating no hay." If you've got a garage spot for it, you can lightly oil that rust spot, or even, with a tack, dab in a small bead of paint to stop the rust.

My old man raised a family and held onto his 71 Corvette. For a long time, he just drove it for an hour every other Sunday, and waxed it every 15 years, and tuned it every 20. He takes it to car shows now, and has friends there, but for 90% of its life, it has sat in the front stall of his garage with a car cover and cat proof carpets on it.

My point, there's a middle option between work on it, and sell it, and that is just keep it and drive it once in a while. They'll go to college in 15 years, and you'll need it then.

 

Revamp it to light the flame so to speak. All summer I have been having all kinds of stupid things come up but I guess as the hp has gone up I'm taking things out. But I'm doing my supension this weekend whole new front end and for the first time in a while I'm really excited to do this as it has been something I have never touched on the car. I got a back up trans I'm installing and I gave my self a bit of a dead line to go drag racing at the local bop race. Also you would be amazed how long touched up rust will last.

 

X2 to this Copper. It is amazing how a new project even as simple as a good detail job on your car can reinvigorate your interest in a car.

 

You know Bondo has been given a bad wrap! Yes it has been used to cover up major issues when it should not have been. But now everyone who sees a small rust hole in an otherwise solid car sees big dollars in metal replacement and paint and does not enjoy the car because of the appearance and does not fix the car because of the cost. My recommendation would be to repair the damaged area temporarily until it it is feasible to do the job with new metal and a new paint job. Enjoy your car!

 

Not to disagree with all of the posters above, who are right, but, if you're not feeling it, then maybe it's played out.
It's one thing to consider getting rid of your Dad's car, or the car you got in high school, but if this is just a car, and you feel like you're done with it, it's okay to sell it and move on.

That being said, I've never regretted NOT selling a car, but there have been plenty I've regretted selling.

- Eric

 

I have to agree with Eric.

 

Henry, I can understand your dilemma. Been there in that situation myself with some cars over the years. One of those cars was very similiar in condition to yours. I decided to leave it alone and just tried to enjoy it until I figured out if I really wanted to part with it. Eventually I did sell it.

 

LOL, good quote and very good point!

 

I really appreciate all the responses. Barring an immediate financial difficulty, there is no timeline. Regardless of what I ultimately decide to do, there are some things I want to take care of. I'm going to get better seat belts, add an O2 sensor for tuning, and possibly a fuel return line. I've had chronic restarting issues when the car sits for more than 5 minutes, regardless of the weather, and I'm pretty convinced it's due to the lack of a return line. I also need to install a new flexplate. After that, I might get a wild hair and address the rust issues. Sometimes I miss the days when it was just a clapped-out old car. That just might help rekindle the flame. Thanks again, everyone.

 

The only way I would stick money in that car is if you knew a 100% you were going to keep it other wise throwing money into it only to still get $5000 out of it.
Sometimes its best to stop spending and get what you can plus not spending anymore on it adds up for two pluses for yourself.

 

If you feel no great attachment to your car maybe now is the time to move on to a car that suits your needs better than your Pontiac.

Maybe a similar (but 4 door) model that left the factory with a/c will be more fun if taking your family with you is important. Nothing will spoil your trip more than passengers complaining about discomfort and inconvenience, especially family because suggesting they make their own arrangements will go down like a lead balloon.

If time isn't a major factor you can consider what you really want from your car and look for something suitable at the right price.

Just my 2 cents, only you will know exactly what you want.

Roger.