Tipster TJ is all over the place, first hitting us with VWs, next with this Old Cutlass. All of his tips are much appreciated. The one in question points to an ad here on ebay for a 1970 Cutlass Supreme Coupe that is set for buy-it-now at $8500. It’s in Medford, NJ should you get an itchy trigger finger and make that full-priced offer in the next 28 days.
The downside? It’s got surface rust on the body panels, as is evident from the photos in the ad. The upside? This kind of degradation has been renamed “patina” and thus has been rendered suddenly cool. Don’t like that? Paint the car. You will have to address the crunch on the hood, of course. But you’re starting with a solid platform. As to value, the seller supports his demand with price guide information that suggests that a #4 car of this type is valued around ten grand. It’s your money, I say, so you decide.
Mechanically, this Cutlass appears solid. It is said to run and drive well with good oil pressure. You could probably assume that even without the seller’s statement If you knew that it had the ultra-reliable Rocket 350. The ad doesn’t exactly say that, though you might be able to decode as much from the as-found built sheet. I’d trust the gold valve covers pictured in the engine shot. As to other functional pieces, most of the rubber components in the fuel, braking, and cooling systems have been replaced, so you should be ready to roll as far as reliability is concerned.
The body is mostly solid, with some rust on the lower extremities, perhaps ruining your dream of just driving it for a few years. (Rust never sleeps, remember?). The extent of the rot is on the bottoms of the fenders and some areas in the lower quarters, in the seller’s words. The trunk floor, which oftentimes is rotted even on a clean car due to water sitting under the mat, looks pretty much intact. The interior, however, needs addressing, unless you want to further ruin the seat foam exposed due to the perished seat fabric. In the end, this one is going to fall on two sides of the fence for Barn Find regulars. Some will see it as a project ready to roll. Others will see it as a car that, had it been pulled from storage a few years ago, would have been worth a few thousand bucks on a good day.
What we have here is a…. Winter beater!! Won’t drive the nice 70 Olds 442’in the snow! But this would do fine!! That’s what my friends did back in the day! 😃 No I wouldn’t fix this up. I would clean it up and shoot clear over it so it won’t get worse. Did not see any smoke from the start up video. Good oil pressure. And drive it around. It would be fun. With today’s economy to me its worth $7,000.and what was done to it by the seller. Good luck to the next owner… 🐻🇺🇸
Exactly. This was the $400 winter beater. That’s now priced close to what you paid for a new, loaded, 1970 Cadillac. Ah well, the time machine ain’t cheap.
30k for body, paint and interior, if you’re lucky. $38k investment in a car then worth maybe 25k. Not a fastback, no console, no buckets, weaker 350.
Agree best as a beater/driver, after spending maybe $4k.
And if it was a comparable Malibu it would sell quick for the asking price.
Times have changed. This would have been cored out, tank removed and pressed without a second thought, not too long ago.
It’s at 7900 now.Knock off the 7 and I’ll take it.Ain’t my problem he put $ in a turd. I never would have dumped time and resources into this car being what it is unless you enjoyed it and wanted a cool old beater from decades gone by and were going to keep it. Now he wants to get his $ back out of it.Good luck.Been there done that.Never again imo.
Still has the original sheet metal including the ’70-only flat inner fender lip. Probably won’t bring the BIN price, but it’s a decent car to start with if you just want a fun driver that will light up the right rear tire at will.
Sorry but it’s a $1200 beater. I’m really partial to 70/72 Cutlass supremes, especially the SX 455 version but this car is junk. Preserve it in this condition for another 15/20 years & it’ll be a worthy project. Look up patinta in websters. Its the most abused word in 21st century automobilia. That ain’t patina kids. It’s rust
This was the $300-400 beater when I started driving, but I know its not the 80s anymore!, But no way would I pay $8500,let alone the fact it’s bid up to $7900!, Personally I prefer the s model with the bulge quarter panels, I had a 69 4-4-2 that looked better than this, that I payed $300 for in 89,400 engine, 400 trans. Posi rear end, 0-60 in like 5.5!, Was fun for a while, but needed a ton of body work, and I was 20, and had a young child, so sold it, made like 500 though, after cleaning it up some!