[FixieCory]

Heyo! So, quick question to all you GTV guys. A friend of mine's neighbor has a GTV sitting out in front of his old barn that I have been eyeing for a while now. I have never seen it move in 5 years. I don't know, as I have not been up too close, to it to tell if it is a 1750 or 2000 (its on his property, I haven't been bold enough to walk up his gated drive). I don't really know if it runs or not, It is a lighter blue, although faded, and it looks to be in fairly good shape from afar. I want to approach the guy and feel him out about selling it. My question is this. Where do I start? Assuming this is a non running, in need of restoration example, how much do I offer without paying too much? Has anyone else on here approached a total stranger and offered to buy his car?

Thanks in advance for any insight.

 

[markc]

It is easy to tell if it is a 1750 as they have single horizontal bars on the grill, a 2000 has six. I would approach the owner and ask if he may be interested in selling and what he thought it may be worth. I would not offer a price, let him give you a price if he is interested.

Parts are available for GTV's so that is good. A major cost would be paint if the existing paint can't be polished to an acceptable level.

People have asked me several times to buy my car, it is not that uncommon, go for it and post pic's.

 

[nero]

Just go bang on his door or get your neighbor friend to introduce you, pretty simple really. Yes i have approached people who did not have the car for sale and bought them. The big question is if it is a non running project with some rust it most likely will be a big resto job,then again you are down south so maybe its not to rusty but we need pictures to even guess at condition. What do you want it for, a driver, a project or buy and flip?

 

[FixieCory]

Thanks for the advice. When I say "neighbor" I am being loose with the term. Its actually a couple of blocks away. Letting him come up with a price is a good idea. I guess my real question is, I honestly have no idea what a GTV is worth. and it seems like numbers are all across the board, from $15,000 cars that look ok to me to $60,000 that are obviously ultra restored. How much is too much?

It will need paint but I worked for PPG for years so I have that angle covered for cheap.

I will try and get a few photos over the weekend.

 

[FixieCory]

What do you want it for, a driver, a project or buy and flip?

The idea is a buy and flip if I can get it for cheap enough. But its just so darn cool of a car I would probably end up keeping it.

 

[dlbehrns]

Cool. What fun. I never see any Alfas around my neck of the woods. I've only seen one ratty 1750 spider in the last 20years,

 

[Andrew]

So hard to figure value without knowing more/seeing it. A rusty pile is worth close to nothing (there's been one on LA CL for weeks at $2500 that no one will tackle) but a car that's basically sound and doesn't have needs in every area can have some value.

The market appears to be off, at least in the US, compared to earlier in the year. It's also heading towards Christmas, prices are always down then as folks focus on other stuff. If you can give a more detailed description and post some pics we might be able to offer better advice. It can be very hard to come out ahead on cars like this, especially if there are repairs needed and you have to pay for labor.

Andrew

 

[gprocket]

Considering the area I would assume the following:

1) Minimal rust
2) Maximum interior deterioration.
3) Mechanical systems (engine, trans, brakes, diff,suspension) would all require rebuilding/replacing.
4) In this condition a 1750 isn't going to be much different value-wise than a 2000

If true, then I would be thinking $1,500 as a basis. From there I would be looking for completeness. Up if it is untouched, everything is there and in it's original condition, down if things are missing and or removed and thrown in boxes. Up if things like interior were removed and carefully preserved. etc, etc.

As far as paint goes, it's good that you have a background and connections but frankly that's going to be a fraction of the total cost of restoration. You'll spend more on rubber weatherstripping than on paint.

If you've never restored an Alfa and don't see the joy in the journey I would highly recommend not doing the buy/fix/flip. You will hate it, spend too much money and buyers will stay away figuring you've cut corners to make a profit (I'm not saying that's your intent). It is generally understood that even if you got the car for free you would still loose money on the restoration.

Either pass it on to an Alfisti or do nothing and flip it as a barn find. You could make a few bucks that way.

OTOH, If you have some experience, enjoy the journey and are willing to pay the price this could be a real find.

Good luck!

 

[nero]

Last two posts pretty much nailed it.

 

[FixieCory]

I don't mind the work, and have always wanted a GTV. Maybe a "buy and enjoy" or "buy and turn into a super awesome race car" is a better rout on this one. its just a matter of convincing the wifey that we really do need another Alfa. (right now she's hanging on to the last garage space with an iron grip)

 

[gprocket]

Good to hear that you have the desire. My next suggestion would be to seek out your local AROC and ask someone to go with you to look over the car. Of course you'll need to contact the owner but i would guess that if it hasn't moved in 5 years they might be eager to get rid of it.

A driver would be a good idea. A race car would not unless you enjoy draining your bank account faster then you could ever imagine...

 

[General Boy]

I think what this story needs is a long lense picture of said GTV In front of said barn..... with a caption "barn find" ?


Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App

 

[FixieCory]

I went and checked it out today. It is in decent shape, interior is good. not a lot of rust. the owner said that when they parked it it ran but they haven't tried to start it in a while. she was also quite adamant that it was not for sale and that they were going to restore it someday (yea right). I was going to get a few photos of it just for the sake of this thread but when I pulled my camera (cell phone) out the battery was dead. Next time I am over there ill bring the telephoto and snap a few pics.