So yesterday I was driving, when something quickly caught my eye, so I pulled in and looked at it....
First, besides a few Caddy's from the 50's and a couple from the 60's.... there is notmany more that I *REALLY* want...
except a 1972 Eldorado convertible.
The outside styling is the best IMO, the grille/bumper/headlights is perfect, has the rear fender skirts, and unlike the ~'75, has my favorite interior of the 60's/70's... the dash curves for the driver, then is flat for the passenger. 120mph speedo, temp gauge etc....
Then my all time favorite inteiror is white leather.
So..... I managed to spot a car that nearly exactly fits the Eldo that I badly want.
the sign said $4,500 OBO,*IF* I was getting this car I wouldn't offer more then $3,000....
Firstly, the paint is fadded. I don't know the condition of the convertible top.... but a decent new paint job and convertible top woudl already bring the cost of this car (if it was $3,000) to around the price of a mint untouched '72 Eldo.
The car shows its age... the hood is misaligned quite a bit (sticks up at the hinge) when I looked under the car, it definitly has an oil leak. the lights/lens are good, just show sun beat, the chrome isn't too bad, there is only 1 small rust hold on the bottom of the front bumper... hardly an issue.
What I didn't like the most was the interior. White leather (kinda felt like vinyl) and the red trim was ok... but it was showing age.. the steering wheel was all cracked. The worst part was... its a hack job. Somebody cut up the dash to install an old cassette player, then put another hole it for a digital clock, then the bottom of the dash where your leg would go has a speaker/grille in it, so there is proabaly a hole there... then there is another speaker mounted in the trash bin on the passenger side (right thru it... real smart) and 2 rear speakers sitting on the back seat.
Then little things, like the controls for the windows/locks on the drivers door is all sticking out, the front bumper has been hit at one time becuase it is kinda tweaked up, just some more stuff like this that isn't that big of a deal, and on a 35 year old car is expected.... but for the asking price, and what they would go down... I think it isn't such a good deal.... IIRC it has around 110k miles... I *think* the first digit was a 0, but I don't remember.
Then again seeing the size and mass of this car, and how it makes my Coupe look like a toy... seeing it, in the shape its in now like, yeah, its stood the test of time, has been a daily driver and will keep coming back for more. look at the massive grille and bumper, the huge hood with the fender rising above and the light indicators on the inside of the fender lip.... peeking in thru the windhsheild at what the view would be like driving the beast, realizing that if anything smaller then a Greyhound bus hits you.... you aint stoppin'.... standing there at the side looking at the side profile of it (which I really like) and seeing the "8.2 Litre" badge on the fender kinda makes any man giggle inside.... picturing myself driving down the road on these beaufitul sunny FL days with the top down, even in the as-is condition just puts a huge smile on my face...
Of course seeing nearly the car I badly want makes you think alot... so I quickly run down the list about selling the '79. I honestly believe i could get $3,000 for that car, then if I could get the '72 Eldo for $3,000 (that alone is a long strech) then I could pretty much go right from a '79 Sedan DeVille to a '72 Eldorado convertible..... but then I would be giving up a car that is nearly mint for a car that is in need of alot of work.... but it is much more of a car....
What really makes me not so sad for passing it up is.... for $2,000... even $3,000, I could get a mint '72 drop top Eldo on ebay... if you figure the cost of a paint job, new top, re-chrome the bumpers etc... that is already the mark to get a better condition one. Then looking at this particular car, it looks like it would be better served as a fun toy then a full restored car, just because alot of stuff on the interior is fadded rusty or cracked (climate control dial is all fadded etc..) but then hold onto this car for another 10 years and even this will be gaining lots of money....
Still, I'll put it this way.... if someone was willing to give me $3,000 for my '79, and the owner of the '72 Eldo would take $3,000..... then I would be driving that thing this weekend. I passed up the deal on that '59 Sedan.... because it really wasn't practical at the time, but in this case, I would be selling 1 classic Cadillac for another classic Cadillac.... one that I badly desire.... and I would fix it up as time goes on. But thats just it, I am not going to be getting $3,000 for the '79... especially right before winter... tho there isn't a winter here in FL, and that guy may not take $3,000..... and by the time it all came together, it would be too late....
but gosh.... a 1972 Eldorado convertible with white leather interior.... damnit! I want the thing.
*IF* I got a car like that, it would be repainted BLACK!, the white leather and the red trim would stay.... the convertible top would probably be black just because white would be too hard to keep clean. How sweet would that be? a black Eldorado with white leather inteiror with red dash, carpet seat belts etc....
grrr.... I took a picture of the for sale sign with the phone number though... wh knows maybe when I am bored I'll call and get some more info on it.... what does everyone else think?
BTW, Sandy would like the included old FL plate
the seats were not ripped and in decent shape as well as the door panels.... the more I think about it, the more it isn't that bad of a deal. I would end up putting a CD player in it so thats ok....
but I need the '79 DeVille, because I am driving that back to NY over my Christmas break... then a car like my '79 would get more money in NY then FL, because there are no more nice classics like that in NY (though I have only see 2 '77-'79 Coupes down here and 1 was trashed, the other was beat) but nobody in NY will be buying a classic car right before winter.
Plus, I am not working, my parents (mother and her finacee') are paying for my expenses here at the apartment, so it really wouldn't be that practical at the time.....
Plus, if I REALLY had $3k in cash, I think I would rather put it in the bank and use it as a down payment for the Jeep I will be getting in 2 years or so... seems like a mroe practical way to budget my money.... but damn... look at this thing:
So is anyone interested in a mint '79 Sedan DeVille d'Elegance with lotsa extras? live in FL? even better, I can deliver it to you!
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