[dscottj]

71 is a really rare year, in my VERY unbiased opinion quite desirable. Still, it all depends on what you want. If you appreciate the marque and expect to keep the car for a REALLY (like, passing down to your grandchildren) long time, restore it.

If it's rusty, half-complete, & smashed two or three times in its life, well, to be cold, it's a parts car (and send me some pix! I need parts!) But if it's just got One Hundred Little Things wrong with it, and has never been hit hard in its life, that's a candidate.

If you want a car to drive, even an Alfa to drive, sell this one and get something from the mid 80s. If you want something rare and special, and are willing to drop some serious $$$ to get it, well, you've got a start.

 

[dscottj]

You'll likely not find a professional willing to trade in kind. However, the early spiders aren't particularly complex cars, especially if they're in decent shape to begin with. If you have a garage, and feel like learning, well, here's your start. If I were to start from scratch, I'd first make sure a) I had a garage, b) it was prepped with proper lights and a treated floor and c) I got one of those floor-standing tool boxes. From this foundation, many good things can be built.

 

[dscottj]

Those "sell this car" guys on Discovery Theater sure do make it SEEM easy. It would appear that, once you actually learn to weld and get comfortable with it, it's no harder than, say, R&R of a big component like an engine or rear end. Easier even, in some ways.

But that's just on TV.