[plastics]

up-coming neighbooring State auction-one item reads: "Nice 1969 Cougar xr7 convertible,302 engine,auto,41,162 miles." I have no idea what I might expect to pay for this-or even if it's a classic & worth buying.
Can anyone help?

 

[djgiff]

The engine is definitely not the original. In 69 the only 302's were the Boss 302's installed in the Eliminators. A good solid conv. should bring some decent money but not enough to break you. Just my 2 cents.

 

[sixt9coug]

depends on the condition of the car. someone on this board toattly scored by getting one for 1500 ( hmm..... ) but id expect to pay at least 3K for a running convt that needs a resto. thats out here in Cali though, where rust free cars are abound. if its decent and you can score it for less than 5K , i say go for it. a fully restored one can get over 10K but if its at an auction, errr, i doubt it will be that good. umm, if you can, get a VIN number off of it. sometimes i think they let you take a look at the car before the auction, so take a peek. another thing... a 69 would not have a 302. they came standard with a 2bbl 351W. the only 302s that came in them were the Boss 302 Eliminators... and there werent any convts made with that engine or as an Eliminator. sometimes people confuse the 351 and 302 though, so maybe they are wrong. yes, they are classics, yes, they are going up in value. they arent the easiest to restore, but mechanically, they are a sinch. its the body and interior parts that are a pain to find. you are in the right place for that though. lots of people here that can help you find what you need. im the resident junkyard hound i guess, so when i find a Cougar, we all benefit until it goes to Ebay welcome aboard and let us know whats up.

 

[plastics]

Thank You Jeff & Steve. I had no idea,but now I'm going to take your advice and do some research on that car BEFORE the auction.

How will I know if it's a 302 or a 351w? (told ya I was A novice-I might have believed it if someone said it has a chain driven glove compartment door..LOL). That 41,000 miles might be on the replacement 302 engine-if that's what's in it. If that's the case,might it be worth 2-3,000 if it is, as they say, in "nice" condition otherwise?

If I can get the Vin # ahead of the auction,what do I do with the Vin #? The auction is a private older couple (farmers) retireing and selling all-including the farm, tractors,a truck and a 1973 chevy Malibu 2 door,automatic w/50,353 miles. (whats it worth do ya think?

I'll let ya know what I find out--and thanks again.

 

[sixt9coug]

hard to say without seeing it... but is say an honest 3-4K could take it. thats assuming a "nice" car but not anything more than a #3 car ( hard to define exactly but thats a car in need of a resto, but generally solid and somehting that wont get you laughed at or need ALOT of attention ) what else, when you get the VIN, try to open the drivers door and get all teh data off the plate thats in there. then post the info on here. that way we can decode it, and if you give us the place of the auction, go there and outbid you jk jk. it will let us know at least what kind of COugar it is. whether it be a base model, or a rare 428 convt. ( originally anyway ) there is a thread on here thats called " AAHHH!! my 351 isnt a 351 " or something, but they show a few ways to tell it apart. let us know the info on the tags and VIN

 

[plastics]

OK Steve,here's the situation on the car. I called the auctioneer who put me in touch with the owner-a younger farmboy who is getting married-new wife wants it out of their garage,so he decided to list it with his dad's farm auction. Said it runs fine-it is a 302 engine(not original) . He put $2000 in new upholstry (original ?) seat covers and interior something?? Said he bought it 4 years ago with the 302 engine in it-but had the 351 air cleaner and the guy he bought it from never mentioned the engine was a 302. He said the body is solid(garaged for past two years ) the convt.top is good (White) and body is red. He said the door panel leather is faded-but not cracked. It's automatic and I forgot ask if it's floor shift-maybe they all were.. He said its an absolute auction so it'll go for the highest bid. Said I can see it the day before the auction-but that wont do me much good as far as the vin #.He did have a friend e-mail me two color pictures-one with top up-one with it down. I'd post the pictures,but I don't know how to do it -I'm 67,not too keen on the computer stuff. If you,or the gang would like to see them-tell me how to do it. You could then give me a ballpark on what I should pay. Like I said,I'm 67 and know very little about cars and I ain't about to restore it. I had a 73 and a 75 xr7, and now have a 2001 cougar. To be honest,
If I can make a few bucks,I'll buy it- but I have a fixed income,and can't afford to get stung.

Any suggestions?

 

[cougarguy]

when your posting a picture you can do it simply when you are writing in post reply go down to the bottom under the box you write in you will see a small box with the words attach file to the left in big bold black letters. i assume you have either a digital camera or scanner and have the pictures saved as a jpg. find those files then hit brouse in the green box and go to were you put those files hit attach and thats all their is to it. as to the car. if you can afford to do so buy a car you drive and is restored. It takes a long time and effort to restore a car and your not spry anymore so unless you have a hell of a garage crawling around under your car is not really going to be fun. As to restoration possibilities things to look for are rust in the quarter panels and rear of fron fenders also in front of the doors these are common places. take a jack and lift the car look good underneath check floor pans and any telltale leaks. make sure all the trim is there take a few pictures with you so you know waht is supposed to be there as the stainless and chrome are expensive and hard to find not as much as it used to be but these cars arent laying around in junkyards anymore. Try to buy a car with good body and paint over good mechanicals it is always easier and cheaper to repair engines transmissions and such than it is toppaint and do body work. Ask yourself do i have the tools to work and repair these old cars such as jacks hoists sand blaster parts cleaners and such this all adds up. I am not trying to discourage you not in the least but having to Cats a 69 and a 70 convertable and a 57 bird that the work isnt easy and it takes you allot longer to restore one than you think. What i am try to say is buy the very best car you can are the Cougars collectible yes most deffinatly the amount of reproduction parts coming out are proof of that as mustangs disapeer people have started to discover the pretier more elegant cousin so your investment will go up. If it is a rust free car new interior and good paint job and the sequential tailights work not to mention the hidden headlights go up and down then your probably looking at a 8,000.00 to 10,000 car. if tailights dont work body needs paint and engine needs work a 5000.00 would be not unheard of but any body work needing done and missing chrome or stainless starts plummitting the price drasticly. I bought my 70 for 2400.00 but i can do all my own work and it really needs allot. I just want you to enjoy your cat and have fun. if all i have said doesn't phase you then jump in get greasy and have fun.

 

[plastics]

Cougarman, Steve, Jeff.
69 XR7 Auction car Pic. (I think) Probably poor quality.

 

[sixt9coug]

doesnt look too bad at all in the pic. the Mustang hood scoop looks a little out of place on it, but its still ok. see it in person and see how true it is to that pic. id say a good 5K is possible just on that pic. but if you look at it and see it all rusted out, adjust your mindset and price accordingly.

 

[cougarguy]

looks good i would check out the crowd get there early and see how many people look at it. bid accordingly but dont go over 7000.00 youcan ge tnice ones all day for around there.

 

[plastics]

Spydy. As I indicated previously, I have no intention to restore-nor do I have the talent to do so. I would probably sell after a short while. Under those circumstances, don't ya think I should go 4 or 5,000 max? I would only consider it an investment and may have trouble making anything if I had to go too high. At 67, I can't keep it for long. As far as leaving it to the kid (or kids)-I'd rather not deprive them of the opportunity to EARN it..like I had to. That's part of the trouble these days; kids are handed too much. (Just my opinion--old school,ya know.)

 

[TheRktmn]

As far as leaving it to the kid (or kids)-I'd rather not deprive them of the opportunity to EARN it..like I had to. That's part of the trouble these days; kids are handed too much. (Just my opinion--old school,ya know.)

My sentiments exactly! :

However, I do have to applaud the young members on this site - they sweat the funds as much as the rest of us. They ask, they listen and they have some pretty good advise for some of us older guys (I'm 41 : ). They scrounge the salvage yards, websites and swap meets with the rest of us.
It's refreshing to see young people today that actually work to earn what they have. I always found that you appreciate it more when you earn it, it seems that our young members have learned that. Many of them are still in school and support their hobby with part time jobs. No small feat considering how hard it is to keep one of these classics going on a full time salary!
While I agree whole heartedly with your statement, I want to make sure that the "kids" that I have interfaced with on this site know that they are definitely not in that catagory.
My hat is off to them. :ylsup:

 

[cougarguy]

well i dont know how much you want the car nor your recourses. if 5,000 is all your willing tospend then keep to it. I am always prepared to spend more than the next guy, thats how you win auctions. remember auctions benifit sellers not buyers. I was just setting a cap of what i would spend, which here in california you can find nice examples all day long for that price. so you decide but check out http://www.traderonline.com as well as http://www.recycler.com both places may have what your looking for and no bidding. as to buying a car far away you can get one delivered for under a grand now. and i am sure you can get list members to go take a look at it and give you their assesment.

 

[cougarguy]

please tell us how it goes will you.

 

[plastics]

Cougarguy. Will let ya know Sunday right after the auction.

 

[plastics]

Well, It's all over. The car was a beauty-great shape all over nothing missing-chrome all very good-new interior,seat leather etc. Twin chrome exhausts- boot-sequential tail lights and motor was actually a 357w not a 302,kid didn't know-but the lable on the motor said modified 357.

I'm still crying-it went for $8,100. I wasn't gonna pay over 5000 because I was going to re-sell-not keep.

The pictures i posted didn't do that car justice-looked much better than the pics. Candy apple red with new maroon interior.

Did I make a big mistake???/

Thanks for all your help guys.

 

[sixt9coug]

modified 357?? could it have said 351 Modified?? the 351M was a , errrrr, boat anchor of an engine. if thats what it had you arent missing out much. 8,100?? hmm, sounds like the owner made out alright for himself. i dont think that you made a mistake, especially seeing as you were only going to resell.

 

[rbaney]

Well as for the cubic inch maybe the guy mentt hat the engine was bored .030 over and some other slight modifiactions. I do agree with six9coug though seems alittle pricey to be able to actually make any money on it.

 

[cougarguy]

ya i agree you can pick up nicer on ebay or trader online. seller made out though.