Guys, I need some advice from you guys who have been into Riviera parts for a while. I stumbled across a guy who gutted (6) 1968 Buick Rivieras and has all of the parts in a storage building. He has (6) 430's with A/C and transmissions, 6 sets of fenders, 6 sets of doors, 2 consoles (both have small cracks), gear boxes, pumps, and lots and lots of trim pieces. Most of the trim is in great shape. There are also bumpers, and side marker lights, wheels (pretty rough though), one rear differential and lots of other stuff. The guy said that he would take $1800 for all of it. I hate to see all of this stuff possibly lost (he is an older guy whose kids don't appreciate what he has). Is this a good price and do you think that I could get my money back pretty quick? Thanks, Eric
The fenders and doors are in really good shape. The door panels on most are pretty bad but the glass is good in all of them. The rear bumpers all have the lights and lenses which all look good. All of the bumpers have at least one small dent in each of them. I am just not too sure how much all of the parts are worth or how hard they are to find. I went there looking for a pull strap for my 68 and bought one but it wasn't the right style. Apparently there are at least three different styles for the 68 Riv. I found the other two there. The engines and tranmissions are what intrigued me. I have no idea what you could sell a rebuildable engine and trans for. I don't know if I can even garuntee that they can be rebuilt either. Seems like a lot of hassle and it is really iffy about getting your money back though. And storage - I have the room in the basement but the wife would kill me if this didn't work out. Yikes Don't really know how to proceed on this. Seems like a goldmine but one man's treasure is another man's trash. My wife would say this is all trash!
You could probably buy a good complete 'parts car' for a whole lot less than that Eric, and the condition of all those parts is certainly another factor to consider as Jim stated. Me thinks it would take a whole lot of time and logistics to move all those parts just to recoupe your original investment, and your inventory 'storage' is certainly another factor to consider. I can also apppreciate your dilema, when you already own one (...like a kid in a candy store!), but the demand for second generation Rivs is just not all that great, and probably even less for 'used parts' in todays depressed market. Just my .02+ cndn. cents worth ! :laugh: :TU:
I would say that you need to figure that over time you may get no more than $200 per core 430 engine and 50 for each trans. The GS differential will be a posi 66-70 9 3/8" Buick only rear. It may bring $300-500 if it is Ok. So your profit, counting the time value of the money, would have to be in the bumpers, the sheet metal etc. This is the reason I asked you about its condition. Plus you will take up a lot of storage space for a good period of time. Unless you have the space open now and will not be using it, you need to figure this cost into the equation.
Not that you need any more advice other than from these two fine men Randy and Jim but 3rd the notion and say they hit the nail on the head. Moving all that stuff would be a chore in itself and my back hurts just thinking about it. Before I took on a venture like that I'd have to be 100% certain I could double my money at the very minimum and that isn't going to happen. If you factor in your time to move this stuff, store it for a couple years, time spent assessing the condition of what you have, advertising, packing, shipping, etc you will lose money buying for $1800. Selling big parts can be a tough business because of astronomial shipping costs as well as packaging to ship. These just aren't in big enough demand to sell locally so you're looking at internet sales and shipping for the most part. If the parts were all in exceptional condition it would be much more enticing. If it was me I'd probably take it if someone gave it to me but other than that I say no thanks. Don't misunderstand, the parts do have value but you would have to want to take this on more of a hobby vs to make money. If you are totally bored and have nothing to fill your spare time with then you could probably do OK. At the very most I'd offer $500 and thats based on your vague description of condition. That way at least you know you could get your money back out in scrap value worst case.
Guys, Thanks for the advice. I am going to take it and start looking for a donor car. I sure do appreciate your wisdom :Smarty:and practicality. Thanks again. Eric
Huck, Do ya think you could get me the stainless trim piece from the back of a bucket seat? I was polishing mine up before putting the seat backs together and the buffer ate one. My parts cars are bench seat cars so no help there. Id probably not spend 1800.00 on the lot but might try to get a nice selection of parts at a good price just for you own stash. The rear windows are no longer available. Bumpres and fenders in restorable condition are rare. Ext moldings are hard to come by in decent condition also. Id love to find a near perfect set of wheel opening mldgs. Any Ext pot metal parts without pitting is a good bet also. I could go on and on. Send me a PM or post here if ya think you can help me out.
I sure will. Got your message. So you think I should get bumpers, rear glass, and moldings? Should I try to get an engine and trans. He wants $175 for the combo.
