We always love hearing about the finds you guys come across, so it was an absolute thrill to read about reader Josh S and his son’s most recent find over in Colorado! It’s amazing find and a great story, so I’ll let him tell you all about it. From Josh – First off, my son and I are big fans of BarnFinds.com! Last week my 9 year old boy Nolan and I scored a rare 1968 Plymouth Barracuda Convertible for only $2,500 from the original owner who had it sitting in an indoor storage unit for 2 decades!
While surfing craigslist last week, we stumbled on a listing that was only 13 minutes old for a 1968 Plymouth Barracuda convertible powered by a 318 motor for $2,500. I immediately thought it was a scam because the price was ridiculously low and the person listing it only included one stock photo from Google images, no photos of the actual vehicle, however the owner did include his phone number. I reluctantly called the number and a man with a raspy voice on the other end explained that he had already received over a dozen calls for the car immediately after posting it.
He said he was the original owner and that he bought it off the lot in 1968 at Grouch motors in Boulder, Colorado. He told me that he’s had the car wrapped in plastic in an indoor storage unit in Westminster, Colorado for 20 years! He was sick of paying for the car to just sit for all these years in storage and was ready to let it go to a good home. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing! I told the owner that I definitely wanted to buy the car so that my son and I could enjoy it and he said “it’s yours” and that he would take the ad down because the repeated phone calls were annoying him. The owner didn’t ask me to wire him any money and just asked me to pay $2,500 cash the next morning when I came for the car.
As we were making the hour long drive to Westminster, I told my son that I was still a bit skeptical that the car would even be there and that if it was there, I expected it to have a significant amount of rust and rats nests. Boy was I wrong! As we dove up to the facility, we were greeted by the owner who removed the plastic from the vehicle with some of his friends (see video). I couldn’t believe what I was seeing and I tried to keep cool while I recorded it with my phone. The car was in excellent condition and better than described by the owner.
The owner included the original bill of sale from Grouch motors where he purchased the Barracuda in 1968 along with a clean title. I had it trailered to my friends shop and after some routine checks and fluid changes, it fired right up the first time! Only 2,840 of these Barracuda convertibles were made so I’m guessing only a small number of them are still on the road. I’m still pinching myself that we were able to acquire such a rare classic, especially for the meager price of $2,500. This will go down as one of my most treasured Father and son moments ever! I look forward to many years of cruising in this classic with the top down with my son and the rest of my family!
First off I need to congratulate Josh and his son on this amazing find! Secondly, I need to thank them for following the site and for sharing with us! While it’s great to see their find and read about the amazing story, it was even cooler to read about a family that shares a love for classic cars! I wish them the best with this Barracuda and I hope to see future updates.
Very nice find. I’m currently looking for a father son project myself. But we’re looking for a 50’s classic.
Good luck with your hunt! I hope you live where cars don’t rust much. If not, let me know if I can help you find anything you find out here in California. http://www.searchcraigslist.org/ is a great search tool.
http://www.searchtempest.com is a better Craigslist search tool
I live in Minnesota and most everything is a overpriced rust bucket.
Thanks! Good luck with your search for a Father & Son project!
If you spot something in Northern Ca (I live in Sacramento) that looks hopeful, let me know and I’ll have a look for you, look for rust, take pictures. (no charge, of course) We even have had good project cars donated to the museum that were sold cheap. I’ll provide my contact info if you like. There are a lot of 1950s rust free cars around from $1000 to $4000. Or things like a nice looking 1958 Nomad with an LS3 and 6 speed auto that needs finishing, asking 15K. Happy hunting!
Yes please let me know what you have access to. Thank you for your time. I appreciate everyone’s input.
How about a 56 Buick Special?
My dad had one in the late 50’s. Drove all over Maine in that one and the down to Newington Ct.
Then he got a 62 Wildcat for my Mom.
The kind of deal we all dream of. Really nice car!
Thanks!
Nice story. BTW, it’s Crouch Motors, not Grouch Motors. The Crouch family is huge in Colorado auto-dealer history.
Thank you Karo!
I thought that was a typo. Grouch Motors, when you leave here, boy are you glad!
Talk about luck, the owner didn’t know what he had as far as a collector car and it’s value. Great story and I’m extremely jealous.
Thanks JW!
I think this qualifies as best barn find ever, price wise! Keep us updated on your progress as you get it up and running Josh.
Thanks Fred! I’ll definitely keep ya’ll updated.
This is my favorite generation of Barracudas. This car appears to be in great shape. Do some maintenance on this baby and drive. The 318 will provide lots of get up and go for this car. The tight suspension should handle well. Have fun!
That’s the plan Ed. We can’t wait to get her on the road! Hopefully next week :)
Wonderful find. Great car! What’s the story on the little Cadillac Plaque above the radio?
Thank you! The owner had a Cadillac too and he said he used to switch between cruising the caddy and barracuda. Maybe he had a plaque made for his caddy and they gave him an extra one so he put it in the barracuda too? I’m not sure?
Josh, you should definitely go out and buy a lottery ticket while you are on a winning streak!!!
Good luck with the car.
Haha! Thank you!
Now here’s a “feel good” story this old fart needs to see. ( Crouch sounds a little more feasible than Grouch. I’m not sure I’d buy a car from a grouch) I’m so glad to see stuff like this, and not all negative aspects of the hobby. Again, that’s what I feel this site is about, the people behind the purchases. Please include more of this stuff, if you can. I have a friend in N. Wis. that has this exact car ( only the 318 was replaced with a 340 at some point.) If you offered him $2500 dollars for it, he’d laugh in your face and send you on your way. This shows, it still can be done and not re-mortgage the house. I did kind of the same thing with my Packard, my kids loved to ride in it. Great find and cherish these moments, they grow up quick.
Amen Howard! Thank you. I’m definitely cherishing these moments.
Your son will always remember this moment and this car.
Ive got to thank the seller for offering such a dream to that man and his son!!!
This certainly blasts my true barn finds as the deal of the century Thanks Paul
So true Paul. Thank you. We’re going to enjoy the car and take good care of her.
Great find and a nice story to boot. Nice to see Father and Son make a great find on such a nice car that doesn’t need a total ground up restoration. This one looks like a fun one to do thanks to the seller taking great care of the car all them years. We have all seen the ones left neglected.
Thank you Big Fish 😃
I would also like to thank the man who sold it to you for such a low price. Obviously, he knew it was worth more and wanted it to go to someone who would love it, not just flip it.
I am also curious about the Cadillac emblem. That may be an even more interesting story than the price.
It’s very true Silas. The owner knew it was worth a great deal more and besides being tired of paying for the monthly storage fees for so many years, he said his goal was to make sure it went to a good home. As far as the Cadillac plaque, I’m assuming he put it in the barracuda because he had an extra one. He used to drive this car and a Cadillac back in the day.
I’ve been thinking long and hard on this and looking back through Barnfind stories, and this really is my favorite story ever. Thank you guys for sharing. Note, the low price is not just a bargain, it enabled a young father to buy a car he probably could not have afforded otherwise. It would be wonderful to hear any follow up stories on this treasure.
(And, someone has to say it… I have a higher opinion of flippers than most, they are responsible for finding and saving many cars, but it’s really great this Barracuda was purchased to be a treasure and not for profit.)
This is my kid leaving for the prom in his Mercedes.(I restored for him before he was born.)
Thank you David! Love the pic of your son and the Mercedes there. The barracuda is not for profit and will be enjoyed by family of 6 😃. Thanks so much for your comment. I’ll keep you updated.
Great story! My Dad and I were heavily involved in Model A’s. Ever weekend we were at swap meets, working on cars. Our driveway looked like a Model A dealership! My buddies would come over with their A’s to work on, my Mom was at the grill firing off her famous burgers! My parents always knew were we where! Sounds like a family fun project with the Barracuda! Good job!
A dream find and a heart warming story too. I hope you and your kids will enjoy this beautiful car for a really long time.
We sure will! Thank you David, I really appreciate it!
Well, I tell ya’, I hope this guy sold it cheap for the F&S project,( there’s that optimist thing again) people in Colorado are pretty cool. I just want to say, I’m envious of son’s that take an interest in their fathers hobbies. My old man was a carpenter, did some unreal stuff, but I didn’t want any part of it. So, it was no shock when my son really wasn’t a gear head, like me, and went on to get a major in music. Now, listen up father’s, it was my DAUGHTER that had the mechanical gene. I came from ( the end) of a time where roles were still pretty much adhered to ( men in the garage, women in the kitchen) That has all changed, thank goodness. I could definitely see her driving a classic. It never occurred to me, that SHE was the one that should be holding that wrench or helping swapping a motor ( although, she did help me bleed brakes and such) My point is, don’t count your daughters out!
One more thing. I always thought, wheel covers, cover the whole wheel, and hub caps, are like poverty caps, covering just the hub.
Absolutely correct. Hub caps are small and dog dish shaped. Wheel covers cover the entire wheel. That’s how the auto manufacturer’s advertised them in the 60’s.
So true! My daughter loves classics and is not afraid to get her hands dirty although not as much as my 9 year old son (first pic next to the barracuda above). People in Colorado are pretty cool 😃. This barracuda is not going to be flipped, we’ll enjoy the heck out of it for years to come!
Thanks for featuring our 1968 Barracuda! Looking forward to many years of cruising the wife out on date nights with the top down and taking my 4 kids to car shows and around town in it. The seller said he wanted it to go to a “good home” and wants me to send him pics of our family enjoying it and a video of it running and driving so I’m going to do that after she gets a new fuel tank next week. Thanks for the kind comments everyone!!
-Josh
I’m glad you shared your find with us Josh! It really is great to see it go to a good home and that it’s going to be enjoyed the way it was meant to be. I hope you will keep us updated with more photos too!
Thanks Again!
The other Josh
I really appreciate Josh. I’ll definitely keep you updated. Thanks again!!
Awesome find ! In the mid 80’s I picked up a 1965 Malibu SS convertible with a 327 4 speed from some older guy for $2000, it was dark green with a white white top and black interior. I loved that car ! Drove it for a few years and sold it for $2000 . It wasn’t as clean as this vert, but it had the biggest engine the public could get, except the few 396’s that were for special ppl, a four barrel and an all around fun car . Wish I hadnt sold it, floors were clean !
Congratulations to this father and son team, I’ll bet that kid will be a car guy for life !
Thanks Angrymike! My son will definitely be a car guy for life. Bet you miss that 65 Chevy!! Loved hearing about it.
The price was great, but what was even better was the thrill that Josh and his son Nolan (& daughter in the car?) had finding it and bringing it home.
The expression on Nolan’s face sitting in the driver’s seat says it all.
Thank you! It was a big thrill for us all. Yes that’s my daughter in the passenger seat and my 3 year old son in the drivers seat 😃. My son Nolan (my car guy) is in the first pic above and in the video.
Wow. Great find. I need to find a bargain like this.
My Dad had a ’68 identical to this. Learned to drive and took my driving test in it. Even got to drive it on prom night. Great memories for me, I’m sure you and your family will enjoy it for many years. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Paul! Thank you for sharing your story too!
Love this feature! In a world full of negative news , this story puts a smile on your face and makes your heart glow.
Hope you and your family enjoy your beautiful new car for many years and maybe generations.
Amen.. Thank you!
Fantastic! What a father and son moment. Hope it passes down to him someday. Lots of stories with it over the years
Thank you Brett! I definitely plan to make great memories with it and will pass it down to my boy Nolan.
Convertible product was low all three years with the 1969’s coming in at about 1440.
Start sourcing the correct seats and mirrors and the mopar guys will envy this little Cuda.
And are we swaying you over to the Penastar brand ?
What was the mileage on the clock?
78k