likeoldcars

Hello,

Does anyone have a check list of things to check when a purchasing a Cutlass? I know I am sure to overlook some things. The car is 1971 Cutlass Supreme with 350. Bucket seats. Any ideas what would be a good price?

I have added some pics.

lshlsh2

I have a 71. Things to look for rust or bondo behind front wheels and around and behind rear wheels. You can use a magnet for checking for bondo. I would look around the rear window for bubbling of the vinyl top that would also indicate rust. When the car is running look for blue, black or white smoke. Could indicate engine problems. Do not be afraid of laying on the ground and looking underneath. Where is the car located, maybe someone is near by that can look at it with you. As for price? Depending on what you find and other options. WAG $5-6k Less rust sothern car could be more, a bondo filled northern car less. Drivetrain condition, front suspension/steering condition and brake condition will also effect price. More info you can give the better.

Larry

Professur

Looking at your pic #3, the peeling vinyl and hacked up radio area leave something to be desired. Lot of wear on the centre of the steering wheel too. How are the seats and carpet? Any funny smells? That peeling vinyl is setting off my spider sense ... I've never seen that before ... The wear on the wheel tho ... either that's someone who drove with his hand on the centre of the wheel .. possible, or someone who was leaning pretty heavy on the horn.

oldcutlass

Welcome, I'd say in the $3-4k range. It looks like it has some rust under the vinyl roof. The body looks straight. It's really hard to tell by your pictures on the rest of it, can't see front or rear bumpers and interior. Look in trunk and under the car for rust. Are the body bushings intact? Pop the gas cap and smell the near the filler tube and see if it smells like varnish if the car has been sitting for a while.

Check the normal mechanical things, front end, suspension (looks to need springs), transmission shifting, and funny noises in the power train. Do the tires look old, worn and cracked? Pull the trans dip stick and see if the trans fluid is a pretty red with no funny smells.

On the engine, is it clean or covered in crap and leaking? Does it run smooth and quiet? Does it smoke out the exhaust? Pull the breather and remove the oil fill cap with running and look for blowby. Does it run hot, is the coolant clean, is the inside of the radiator clean?

Does everything work, lights, wipers, heat, A/C, blower, radio, gauges, windows, etc... Is the weather stripping serviceable?

I listed the normal stuff I check. The thing you need to consider is are the repairs within my skill level and budget? Am I better off spending a little more money to buy a car that's in better shape considering the costs to repair this one and my skill level?

Good luck!

joe_padavano

Mechanical problems are easy to fix compared to rust (unless you are good at sheet metal work). The bottoms of the fenders are common rust areas. Also unfortunately common is pinchweld rust under the stainless trim around the windshield and back window. Look closely at the base of the windshield. There is now a patch panel for the lower windshield mounting channel, but it requires removal of a large part of the interior to properly weld it in place. Same for the back window. The piece between the base of the back window and the trunk lid is a notorious rust spot on the 70-72 Supremes. There is a patch panel for this, but again, you'll be doing a lot of disassembly to install it correctly.

likeoldcars

Thank to all for responding. I will be looking at the car this Saturday. It is in Los Angeles area. I will be compiling my list. I will let you know what I find out.

OLD SKL 69

Good luck with your potential purchase, keep us posted!

Olds442redberet

IMO the car you are looking at is really cool and I would be looking at it if it were in my neck of the woods.

Take a flashlight so you can check all the dark areas under the car and the inside of the fenders, and trunk. I use a really bright surefire light. It's very bright. These cars rust around the rear windows and under the vinyl. And also under the rubber gasket on the front of the doors. Look under the front glass for small holes which indicate rust in the cowl. The lower fenders and rear quarters are also prone to rust. As already mentioned, rust is expensive to fix, but mechanicals aren't really an issue. I also like to take a vin decoder print out with me so I have more info on the car. I also check the oil, transmission fluid, and radiator coolant. Water instead of coolant in the radiator isn't really a good thing as the water causes corrosion. I also try every button on the dash. Aa mentioned earlier, cut up dash is a bad thing but not an end all.

Always be willing to walk away from the deal should something just not feel right. And always make a lower offer. I'll walk away and call back a few times to let sellers know I am still interested should they decide to lower the price. The economy here in Alabama allows me the option to use this tactic.

It's a bucket seat car, and that adds value. I always have a hard time selling bench seat cars, but a bucket seat car seems to sell quickly. I have sold three non running bucket seat cars this year, and all of them for 3K plus in non running condition. But they were complete and all original. They were all southern cars and they all had some rust.

You might want to consider a more expensive car if it is within your budget. Buying a really nice ten grand car is actually cheaper than buying a 4K project that requires 20 plus thousand to make it comparable to the ten grand cars that are available now.