# Recent First 66 GTO Purchase



## mblanco2000 (Jun 26, 2014)

Well I finally did it. I just bought my first GTO. I had always wanted the longer sleek looking muscle car, and found what I thought was a decent opportunity and pulled the trigger. Below is the link to the eBay link where I did end up buying it from. Pretty scary but I had seen the car before. This is also my first restore job, so any suggestions please throw them my way.1966 GTO Barn Find 2 Dr H T 242 Code Restoration Started Than Abandoned | eBay

I just wanted to try to get your guys opinion and thoughts on the car as I go to pick it up on Saturday. I live in the Houston area actually close to downtown. If you guys know of anyone that I could talk to about the restore that would be so great. Thanks guys.


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## Matthew (Feb 11, 2011)

Hoping you find it to be as solid as it looks. I also hope all the parts are there like the previous owner says. Missing piece-parts can increase your costs rather quickly. I saw your post on the LS1 swap. Recommend skipping that idea and get that 389 overhauled. Just my opinion here... you need to make a tough decision: 1) do a restoration for the next couple years, or 2) get that beauty back together as quick as you can and drive it. No idea of your skills or cash supply. I recommend 2. Matt


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## mblanco2000 (Jun 26, 2014)

Thanks Matt. I am going to try to go pick this car up this weekend. The owner has title in hand, and is ready to transfer it over once the payment is made.

One reservation I have is I have heard horror stories about someone buying a car with a clear title, throwing thousands into the resto, putting it up for sale and come to find out the numbers actually indicate that it is a stolen car. Where maybe the thieves years ago replaced the VIN that sits in the windshield and got a title for the car on that VIN.

How do I prevent this from happening, well aside from buying a car online, b/c that already just happened. Thanks for the help guys.


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## mblanco2000 (Jun 26, 2014)

Well I have the VIN number but not the number on the block. I spoke with the owner and we are still unsure if that motor is the one that came with the car.

The VIN is 242176g124709 That would be a 66 GTO 2 door hard top VIn manufactured in Framingham, MA. However, how do I figure out if the BB that is in there now was the original?


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## PontiacJim (Dec 29, 2012)

mblanco2000 said:


> Well I have the VIN number but not the number on the block. I spoke with the owner and we are still unsure if that motor is the one that came with the car.
> 
> The VIN is 242176g124709 That would be a 66 GTO 2 door hard top VIn manufactured in Framingham, MA. However, how do I figure out if the BB that is in there now was the original?


By "BB" do you mean Big Block? Big Blocks are Chevies&Fords&Mopars. I believe you might want to purchase several of the books offered by Ames on Pontiacs & GTO's so you can get acquainted with the car you will someday be restoring and driving. Knowledge is power. Ames has an online catalog and these books offer a wealth of knowledge for the beginner.

You may want to check out some of the Pontiac videos on U-Tube, like Pontiac GTO burnout, Pontiac 389 burnout, Pontiac 400 burnout, Pontiac 455 burnout to get an idea of what a Pontiac powered Pontiac can do.


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## Jared (Apr 19, 2013)

Hey, good luck with the purchase! This car looks to be pretty straight and all the hard stuff is already done. Looks like a new trunk pan along with the floors. You can buy the original grey speckled paint for the trunk. It will look much better than the black. 

Buying on-line is not as uncommon as before, especially with classics. If you are picking it up in person, you should be able to get a flavor of it's condition before you pay. If it's not what they described, you can walk. Again, good luck and keep us posted.


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## mblanco2000 (Jun 26, 2014)

Thanks guys. He is about 3 hours from here in Houston in Devine, TX. The plan was to drive out there hand him cash and drive back. However, the guy does not want cash or cashiers check due to his fear of counterfeiting. He wants me to do a wire transfer then come out there and pick the car up a few days later. That sounded real fishy to me.

Typical wire transfers take about 20 minutes or so to fully fund. I gave him four options:

1. Cash - I understand your reservations and that is fine.
2. Cashiers Check - We can go down to the bank together and you can verify it is real and certified
3. We could do a wire transfer from my account to your account, but I will not do it until I am there in Devine, TX and see you have the title to the vehicle
4. I will have to check with your bank, but I could possibly open a checking account there and fund it with the money for the vehicle. You can verify funds and we could have them just do a simple transfer of funds, while I am in Devine, TX.

Any other ideas here?


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## Jared (Apr 19, 2013)

Wire transfer only is a bit odd. Usually, a seller will wait until a bank check clears before releasing the car to the buyer. Cash is usually no problem. That being said, he does say wire transfer only in the posting. See if you can go check out the car in person and pay by credit card. All being said, it looks like this guy has sold several Harley Davidson's on ebay, so he is probably OK. I would still want to see the car in person before you pay to make sure it is as good as it looks. Again, good luck, looks like a pretty nice car for the price.


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## crustysack (Oct 5, 2008)

exchange the money(cash) at the bank have them verify it is not counterfeit- you have zero way to get money back from wire transfer if you are burned-
go to his bank and ask the teller to verify cash is legit then he can put funds right into his account- 
personally I would never pay wire transfer -rolling the dice


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## mblanco2000 (Jun 26, 2014)

Well I finally got him to agree to the meeting at the bank, but he has not agreed to show me the car just to verify all the parts in the listing were there. Anyway I am waiting on a response from him, but as more time goes by it smells more and more fishy.


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## crustysack (Oct 5, 2008)

Yeah,,, I also would not give anyone a dime on a sight unseen"barn find no rust car" also this guy states his gto business has gotten so big he cant work on bikes, why would he not just build this car then?? Much better to be over cautious and no lose any loot,then dive in on an impulse and get royally screwed.


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## tiger13 (May 4, 2012)

What was the eventual outcome with all this? Did the sale go through?


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## teamwoody72 (May 23, 2008)

what was the end result. seemed like a nice car for the money if its a real 242


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## crustysack (Oct 5, 2008)

What happened??? inquiring minds want to know
Well after looking on ebay car had been relisted and sold again so I would assume deal fell thru hope the next guy doesnt get burned. would like to get details if this was a scam or not though


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