Here’s an interesting listing found on craigslist in Montana: seemingly, a wheeler dealer of sorts who doesn’t necessarily have the cash on hand to buy the car or truck of his choosing, but is willing to make any number of trades plus cash come together for the right offer. Vehicles like this 1974 Ford E100 Custom Panel Van here on craigslist – which is said to have had just one California owner since new – are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the vehicles he has, ready to swap.
While mostly American muscle and other more ordinary drivers, the seller also has an eye for snagging the clean and unusual. He claims this 1966 Renault Caravelle was sold new in Lewiston, Montana and never left. It has just 47,000 original miles and was stored for 40 years before being removed from its resting place. I haven’t seen many of these with a factory hard top, and it really does change this rear-engined oddity into a fixed-roof coupe.
Perhaps my favorite car in his collection (and there are lots more if you check out the ad) is this 1974 Chevy Vega Kammback which features a four-speed manual and just under 70,000 original miles. Another car that the seller claims he found and brought back to life, it is said to have been sitting since 1992 after the last owner passed away. The hugger orange paint is said to be original, but there is some isolated rust that will need further explanation. Still, the originality is nice to see.
This 1964 Corvair panel van is cool on its own, but it came equipped with a fold-out bed and cupboards and paneling inside, making it quite the cruiser if it’s not completely roached out. The seller alludes to needing some interior work but that it’s 100% sound mechanically and ready to drive anywhere. Overall, he has some interesting vehicles in his collection, and with the prices listed in the craigslist ad, I suspect you don’t necessarily need to have a trade in tow to work out a deal. Which would you try to take home?
The Econoline….hands down.
Just don’t get the “trade” thing. Why not sell and buy with the cash from the sale ? It’s cleaner and less involved.
It could be a loophole to reduce transfer taxes?
Love that Econoline too. It would be great to see interior and engine pics. What a great little ride, though a bit warm with that 302 between the seats!
As they say in the investment business those cars are priced to perfection.
Every price is too much.
I have lived in Great Falls, MT for the last 22 years and these prices are way out of hand for the MT market, even if he provided free shipping to anywhere in the USA. This guy plans on keeping all of these for a very long time.
I Love The Vette A Great Car !
This guy is way too high and the prices are pretty bad 2….
The Econoline looks nice, not a van guy, my old man had a Caravelle like that, only a convertible. I remember it bent in the middle with both doors open. Pretty rare cars, but not the best. The snowmobile next to it is a ’76 Yamaha 340/440 Exciter. I had 2 sleds like that, they were great machines. I like the Vega, but at 70,000 miles, I’m sure the engine is toast.
That Vega has been for sale a long time.
The roof on that Caravelle comes off, and it has a convertible top. I revived one of these cars a few years back, and they are fun and quirky and slow as s$&t. Do not, repeat, do not get on the interstate in one of these. That said, chicks dig a guy in a Caravelle.
Hi Rex, they do? Since when? I think, and maybe someone knows for sure, this is a “coupe”, and that top doesn’t come off. The removeable hardtop was more of a fastback design. Anyone? http://www.motorstown.com/images/renault-caravelle-convertible-08.jpg
He doesn’t have the money to pay for an add ?
There are two Caravelles near here (Eureka,CA),
that are part of an 18 car collection being sold off.Many of
the cars are just good for parts,as they’re in good shape,
but not worth restoring (’80’s Mercedes,Saabs).
One of the Saabs,a hardtop,has a near perfect body,
but needs gone through otherwise.There’s also two Saab 900
convertibles,in the same condition.
Some others are a ’76 Fiat 2000 Spyder,’88 BMW 750il,
’59 Mercedes 220S (very restorable),& two parts cars,a ’75 Saab-
Wagonback,’53 Studebaker,’87 Alfa Romeo Milano,& a couple
more that I can’t think of.
The owner’s passed away,& I’m helping the family sell
them off.
Howard, your link shows the earlier top, used on the earlier Caravelles (and Floride model, which was the original name of the Caravelle in France. When it was marketed in the US, the name was changed to Caravelle).
Around ’65 or ’66 they adjusted the roof line to provide more rear headroom. The hard roof was removable on all Caravelles.
Love the van! my brother has a 71 e-series with a warmed over 351 stuffed between the seats….a lot of fun!
Interesting that he calls it “The Mopar Ranch” and yet most of these seem to be Fords and Chevys???
I’d love to drive the Econoline for a bit… in January ’75 I bought a brand new ’74 leftover E300, 300 inch 6, stick, power steering, high output heater, sliding side door. Sticker price, $3600. The driver’s door was distorted and murder to SLAM closed, the dealer didn’t fix it and I was 19 so I didn’t know how to complain. Also the windshield gasket was bad and the thing leaked like a sieve over the driver’s side of the dash. Even so, other than those things it was a darned good truck and with an 8000 GVW it was very heavy duty. Love to drive one again just for the heck of it. Here’s a picture of it right after I bought it, sitting out in a snowstorm. It was an interesting color I used to refer to as ‘thousand island dressing’, sort of a pinkish beige.