I am currently looking at a 68 firebird 350. As far as I can tell it is a legit car, and has been in peoples collections for most of it's life. It has 23900 original miles on it, originally from california. AC, 3spd auto, power steering, pwr brakes, vinyl top, am radio. new stainles exhaust, new rear leaf springs, new front coil springs, new shocks ,new tires. All to original numbers/specs. It is unmolested and un restored and in pristine condition. They are asking $30K cdn for the car. Is this a reasonable price, and what should I be looking at to verify the car is legit?

Get a picture of the body tag and use the analyzer to decode it.

https://firstgenfirebird.org/firebird/btag_app.mv

Contact PHS to get the original paperwork to verify against.

http://www.phs-online.com/services.htm

Excellent advice. I have asked for a photo of the body tag.

Did 68 350's come with a 3 sp auto? Thought it was only 400's that got the hydramatics. So it may not be as unmolested as they say. For that kind of money, they should provide the PHS docs (or you should get them).

http://www.phs-online.com/

Jarret, My best advice is to pay a car professional to appraise the car. Have him verify what these people say as true. Then go get another appraisal on it to back the first ones opinion if he tells you what you want to hear. Then I would think long and hard about it before you make any decisions because for 30k you can almost buy any firebird you want within reason. Alot of really nice cars out there for alot less. Just my opinion though

Keep in mind prices are 25-35% higher now in Canada. However you do not always have the choice on where to buy when you are thinking of a low miles car.

I have a 68 that came stock with a 350 + 2sp power-glide but then again it came with a 2bl carb.

The PHS will tell you the exact info. You will need a picture of the VIN as well.

PHS first and foremost!

Even if the owner already "has one", run it again. We are now seeing bogus PHS packets that people are creating. My friend Mike who has been appraising cars for over 35 years has a stack of bogus PHS sheets as he runs a new one for EVERY single Pontiac he appraises...

ok, So I've got the Body tag, and the VIN and PHS report on the car. Everything is legit. I verified the AC is working. and the Auto trans is actually a 2 spd auto. It was a typo in the ad.

It's got
2BBL, reg fuel - 350 cubic inch
Vanity visor mirrors,
outside remote control mirror
Front and rear seat belts with front shoulder belts
deluxe wheel discs
deluxe steering wheel
console
clock
power steering
power brakes
soft ray glass -windshield only
custom pedal trim plates
custom air conditioning
F70 x 14 white wide-oval tires
push button radio -man antenna-front
Nordic Blue
Teal vinyl top
Teal interior
2.78 axle ratio

Everything on the car checks out as original and in pristine condition.

The 350 2brl is a minus but the original condition and low miles is a huge plus. You have some rare options as well.

I would place most of the value on the condition and low miles so to appreciate from $30k in the future. You will need to maintain it as such i.e. not a "driver car".

The bottom line is if it is in good condition and you love it then it's worth it. Just do not let them know you love the car until after it's bought. Tell them it needs to be a 400/4 sp to get the kind of money they want in today's market. Offer them $25k and see what happens.

An appraiser would be helpful IF he/she knows a lot about FB's otherwise it's a waste of time. Use him for insurance only.

P.S. Love the colors!

I'd be driving it on weekends during the summer only, so putting much mileage on it won't be much concern. I am thinking if I can get it for $23 - 25K I'd be happy. From the research I've done, $30K is a little high. I am in Canada already at least so I don't loose on the exchange. I know they are negotiable on the price, so we shall see.

Thanks for the feedback!

Personally I think anything over 20k is very high. I would guess the actual value of this particular car in this economy to be 15-18k. Just my $.02

If this car were in the US, I would totally agree with you. Unfortunately the economy in Canada is moving along a little better. I would go looking for a car i the US, and I might still end up doing that, but already knowing the cost and hassles of importing a car from the US, I'd rather get one up here even if it costs a little more. I imported an old pickup a few years ago, and I ended up having to store it in the US for 2 months until it cleared US customs before I could clear it through Canada customs.

Well to be honest, even a few years back this car would not bring much more than what stated but your correct about the import fees/charges etc.

From the pics it looks very nice. Like gus said make yourself happy. If you love the car try to work a deal you are comfortable with. I think you better think about it before you buy. A car like that has high collector value not cruising value. There's already a car on this site for sale because he didn't want to drive such a unmolested car. First dent you get from some dum-dum that looks a it as "just a car" will kill you or (him)

jose, I beg to differ on the "high collector value", not knocking this car but it is not a collector status car. I have yet to see any 350 Pontiac be considered a "collector" car. Even with low milage etc. I bought a 67 LeMans w/54k miles on it this past Jan. This car was/is close to #1 condition and due to the fact that it is not a GTO and is only a 326 car, I over paid at 15k for it. However, I was and still happy with the car. My point is, unless it's a 400, 421, 428, 455 high performance Pontiac, the collector factor has never been there nor may never be.

In fact, the OHC/Sprint cars are more "collector" than any 326, 350 Pontiac (with the exception of H.O. cars) has been to date. I say if you can buy it right, or maybe even a bit high and you are happy and want to drive it, then so be it. However, I would be careful with over paying, once you have, there is no going back...

I agree, 30k seems a lil tall..

Are there import fees for old cars? They is nothing exceptionable other than federal tax for new cars.
I bought newer Tundra, Rav4, Beetle and a boat without any trouble or delays and little additional cost. You have to do the paperwork properly and timely. We saved $10k alone on the Rav4!

The other thing I have noticed the last couple years is most cars sold in Florida are getting much less for them than in other states and Canada. So it would appear Florida is a good place to buy.

Look at this vert in my area.
68 Vert in Calgary AB
Asking $26k and he will get $24-$26k for it. Just a driver and no BJ paint job!

One thing to keep in mind...you can get a beautiful coupe or vert from no-rust-free state for < $23k this year.

Joe what I was trying to say was he was buying the car for the originality factor and low mileage. For the money he is talking for this car it isn't to me a cruiser. Wanting to keep his value payed he would have to be extremely careful when riding around. From a collecting stand point his car is worth way more than mine being non-original.

My two cents. All that money or all that time to sit and look at it. To me trailer queens should be shown in their own class. They may be nice to look at, but every chance I get to drive mine I do. I avoid rain and the Il road destruction that we suffer through here every summer! Does seem like a lot for a hardtop.

restoring one costs close to 20k. if you want original and dont like the pain of restoration then the cost would justify it. 30k for a standard 350 is high in my book.

Just to give you an idea, I bought a Sprint Convertible about 8 months ago with about the same options (I don't have a clock or remote mirror) for 17.5K. Needs a repaint but it is a rust free southern car. Miles are low (56,000). I actually think I overpaid, but I really wanted a Sprint Convertible and in the end I'm happy. Just my 2 cents but for that price I would want a drop top.

The import costs are just taxes, and an environmental fee if it has AC. The paper work for older cars is pretty simple. It's more the hasstle of going back and forth across the border several times and storing it while waiting for the title to be mailed to me, and then waiting for the US border customs to clear it for export.

I am purposely looking for a coupe and not a convertible, and also a 350 or 350HO car, preferably with AC to make it nicer to drive in the summer time. This car would not be a trailer princess, and would be driven regularily. I'm really not worried about mileage on it. At only 23000 miles, it would take many years of summer weekend driving to make it high mileage. No point in buying a car if it's not going to get driven.

Everyone tells me to look for a 400 convertible. I've seen there are tonnes of them out there. I am not interested in them. I am looking for a very specific model, and this one is the closest I have found in several years of looking. I am not looking for a project due to lack of body work skills, and lack of space to do a major project. I have knowledge and space to do regular mechanical work/maintenance. Almost anything that is restored tends to be modified, or no where near the model I am looking for.

I am looking for a 68 350 or 350HO coupe, with AC, and numbers matching, either original, or restored to original.

If I can get them to agree on a price in the low-mid $20's, and I then fly out and check the car out and it is everything it looks to be, then it shall be mine. I am going to go to them with some pretty good reasoning for my price. I shall see if I get laughed at, or if they are reasonable.

Wait, your in Canada and you want AC? Roll down the window for the 2 weeks of sun we get!

But on a serious note, if you really love the car and have no intentions of reselling it,does it matter what its worth down the road? I say go for it, you only live once.

LOL. you think we even get 2 weeks of sun here in Vancouver??? LOL

I'll be sharing it with my Dad who is starting to get older, so the extra comfort of AC would be really nice. I am more just looking to make sure I'm not getting totally ripped off on the price. I'm not really looking for resale value in the next few years. This would be a car that gets kept for the long run.

Jarett I am fairly certain everyone wants to guide you toward a 400 convert, because they seem to bring the most money. There were many posts about the one that went through Barret Jackson. If you want a hard top and a 350, then by all means make yourself happy. Sure sounds like a nice ride. Hope they come down to a fair price!