Black exterior in GC (driver quality, no major scratches, dings or other imperfections)
Dark Red/Maroon interior in VGC (clean, no rips, tears or major scuffing/discoloration)
Standard decor level trim with factory console
Factory power disc brakes and power steering
I know this is a needle in a haystack enterprise but I’m prepared to wait for the right car. Please let me know if you see/hear/smell anything that might be suitable. This one (without the big block price tag) would be perfect:
Thank you for letting me know. I had seen that one and was considering it even though it’s a '67 as the interior looks very good and panels seem to be clean and straight.
I’ve been in touch with the owner and her bottom dollar at the moment is $17K (she started at $22K), which I think is a little over what it’s worth. At this stage I’m not sure if it has power steering or disc brakes and the engine bay looks like it hasn’t been touched in 30 years and in definite need of some detailing.
She claims to have been advised on pricing by a local car club, so what do others on here think? I figure I’d have to put about $2K into tidying it up which makes it nearly $20K for a small block '67 before I put some nice wheels and tyres on it.
If that is not your car, then you are probably not going to find one. An XR-7 is going to bring more money than a standard. It is highly optioned in a very positive way: tilt away, power disc brakes, console, AC, full California smog still on the car. Very unmolested. It needs to match up to a Marti Report and you need to see the front seats. Unicorns are rare.
On the surface that appears to be a good deal on a well optioned rare car. There are folks on this site that would go look at it for you if you bought them a hamburger and a tank of gas.
All your points are well taken. I know I’m being fussy, but this will hopefully be the last Cougar I buy so I want everything to be just right. My only real issue with this one is it’s a '67 rather than a '68: I really don’t like the '67 steering wheels and I’m keen on the slightly better safety aspect of the collapsible steering column on the '68s, not to mention the ‘Cougar’ badging on the rear quarters is more appealing. On a lesser note, I’m one of those strange guys who actually prefers the interiors in the standards rather than the XR7s.
That said, if this '67 was a bargain I’d probably grab it but in my personal view it’s priced at every bit of what it’s worth. I may be wrong on this and some of you guys here (especially Don and yourself) know way more about Cougar vaules than I do. So far it’s been on the market for about a month and while quite a few people have been out to look at it, nobody has bought it yet.
If the price comes down a little more I will definitely be sending out the call!
I paid $17 K 2 years ago for my 68 (non XR-7, bench seat, minimal options) although it was generally in very good shape. There may be some bias in the Haggerty site but a price for an XR7 with a 302 4 barrel is $18,600 so her price seems reasonable and perhaps a bargain.
Its really an unknown as it is a poorly written ad with poor pictures. Every car has its warts, I do not believe it is a perfect show car, look at the noticeable dent in the hood. My experience has been those who have patience and know how to use the internet to their advantage almost always in time find what they are looking for. Post your wanted ad on as many buy and sell sites as you can find, use lots of content rich search words and be ready to act swiftly when the right car pops. I just made an offer on the car BTW.
Agree with everything you said, Don. I hope you have better luck with your offer than I did with mine!
I also had hassle with the owner as simple requests for things like the VIN and/or data plate info, more/better pictures, answers to basic questions about what options are fitted, etc. have been stonewalled. She even denied there were any dents on the car when I specifically asked about the hood! While this isn’t a deal breaker for someone local who can go see the car for themselves, someone like me on the other side of the world needs every bit of cooperation we can get from the seller.
That’s the thing that keeps me going - persistence usually pays off in the end. FYI, the car I showed pics of in my first post as an example of what I want was on the market in February for low twenties before any price negotiations and it was a factory big block. So I do believe that perfect car at a reasonable price must be out there somewhere!
Unicorn ? just bought a 68 XR-7 GT 390 auto car. Lime frost, black painted top, black leather interior, swing away column ect… Marty report says only 7 built this way, I wonder how many are left?
The Buy it now price is $15K, which I think is a good price on a solid car. I think you will regret it if you don’t snag this one. You could always keep looking for a 1968, but enjoy the heck out of this cool black and red Cougar. I like that color combo, which you rarely see. We did have a similar unique Cougar here in Arizona a while back, it was a 1967 390 GT 4 speed car, and it was Black with a BLUE XR7 interior. It looked amazing as well. One of like 10 made, if I remember correctly. Bid now, or you may be sad that you missed it.
Yes, the asking price is a lot more reasonable now. I won’t go into too much detail but after having talked to the seller (sort of…) I’d be reluctant to buy a car from her. Some statements made turned out not to be 100% accurate, plus any requests for further information or pics were met with an attitude that it was all just too much trouble. Unfortunately this is all too often the lot of the overseas buyer who has to rely on a helpful seller to have any chance of getting a deal done.
Someone who is close enough to drive over and check the car in person with a fistful of cash to make a deal may have better luck…
FWIW, I had some communication too, but replies were from a child of the seller. Comments like “my mom wants this much for the car “ type of things. Not sure on this one.
Ditto - the daughter’s name is Angie/Angela and she was supposed to be handling the sale on behalf of her Mom. Trouble is she doesn’t live with her and knows next to nothing about the car so almost impossible to get any coherent answers to questions or even better photos of the car to help make an informed decision. I tried to raise her enthusiasm by letting her know I would pay up to $15K if the car checked out to be as good as claimed, but that was rejected with the statement “my Mom doesn’t have to sell and will never take a penny less than $17K”. Within 2 weeks of that statement the car popped up on Ebay at $15K or best offer…
I also believe they were given poor advice by ‘a local Cougar club’ on what the car was worth (they initially listed it at $22K), now reality has sunk in and they are still playing catch up. Haven’t seen it relisted on Ebay or Craigslist in the last few days, but I doubt it’s sold so if you’re patient and able to go inspect it in person you may pick up a bargain.
It looks like this Cougar is in Carson City NV. The nearest Cougar club is in California and over 100 miles away. Some one from one of the Clubs there may have given them a number but more likely the number they have is from getting an appraisal on it. Most appeasers will give a “Replacement value” for the car. That is usually higher then market value. Or they may have been watching a Barrett Jackson auction and thought that is market rate value.
