This is what I'm saying, the initial buy in is out of proportion to what these cars are worth. How much was this car when it was new, $2K? Break it down - Dart 270, a lower end model. No special equipment, just a 273 2 bbl, column 904, 7.25 but Ok, its got A/C. GOLD. Your basic old lady car. No performance pedigree, not even any high performance mods. How does the perceived value of this car increase so much? To me, it's unrealistic.
No, its not rusty and is in decent shape but how do you come up with anything over $7K? Seriously. You can play devils advocate all you want but again, this is the attitude of people these days that prevents guys with a little less from getting into lower level cars. Of course, all it takes is one fool but the problem has a ripple effect. Someone sees this ad and thinks "hey this guy thinks his old Dart is worth a million bucks, so is mine!" You get the idea.
During my recent search, I saw what looked like a pretty decent green Duster on Ebay. It was in nice shape but like the Dart, the car was basic transport. Car still had drum brakes, 7.25 etc. I think it had a mild 360 in it with manifolds. Guy was also asking $12K. I actually ended up talking to him trying to feel out where he was at. I probably would have given him $8k but he wouldn't even listen to anything under $11K. What are you getting for 11 grand? OK body that was painted, an interior that was dyed and throwaway running gear?
Maybe its me though. Not sure how everyone else views these cars when they are looking for one to buy, but I wanted a decent platform to modify. I will add that I was willing to pay a little extra for a nice car since I factor in the price of paint and body work. I'd rather not spend the money on cosmetics and it's usually cheaper to buy an original/done car than to fully restore a beater. So if it was in good shape, I considered it but also needed to consider the extra cost of building an engine and driveline. So now that original, lower level car I was looking for was turning into a $20K project. Also unrealistic.
In my opinion, it's warped. Fortunately, I was in a position to buy a good car recently but for someone who may be on a tighter budget, the lower level cars that used to be throwaways are now out of reach. Obviously if you can't afford it then you probably shouldn't be looking for cars beyond your means but guys are being priced out of the bottom cars.