I have a 1966 GTO I bought from the original owner about 12 years ago. Over that time I have restored the car to almost show condition, all that is needed now is an exhaust system and to have the front seats reupolstered. I have invested about $15,000 into the car at this time, I paid only $1200 for it. I would guess the value on the open market to be about $18,000 to $20,000 as it sits today. This past weekend I had a chance to take the car out for a spin. I came out of a grocery store and a gentleman was looking over my car. He said he use to own a GTO exactly like this one, in fact, he claimed it could be his original car. After explaining the car could not have been his, he said it did not matter but he would like to buy it from me. I’m thinking to myself he probably doesn’t have much money, he was dressed rather shabbily and was driving an older Chevy pickup. He retrieved a check book from his truck and offered me $20,000 on the spot. I explained that I had lots of time and money invested and I did not think I wanted to sell the car at this time. The GTO has been a part of my life a long time and I am not ready to part with it now. We exchanged phone numbers and he told me to call if I change my mind. This morning, he called me and has raised his offer to $25,000 cash. That is where I sit now. I really do not want to sell the car but he is offering a lot more than the car is worth. I could easily replace it with another. I don’t know what to do???
now, this is a real dilemma!
the only thing i love more than my machines is MONEY! i have a hard time parting with anything…unless someone makes me an offer i cant refuse!
sell it if you can think of at least one thing you could get for the 25 large that you would like more than the goat. new toys always make you forget about the old ones…
im waiting for a good offer on a landcruiser, so i can make it go away and leave space for a 73 z28…
good luck, you lucky devil!
one more thought:
i always enjoy the tinkering, more than the having. once i get the project “done”, it becomes less interesting somehow…
im sick!
This isn’t a black convertible with a maroon interior, is it? I’ve lusted in my heart for a black convertible GTO with a maroon interior ever since I saw one at a Pontiac/Oakland car show several years back.
Take the $25,000. If you want a Goat that badly, you can probably buy one from someone in Hemmings Motor News and use the difference for something else. Of course, the new car won’t have the same emotional attachment as one you’ve restored yourself, but there are times for being sentimental and then there are times for being selfishly greedy.
Hell, yes!
If somebody offered me big bucks for my 66 Fleetwood (which I have about $12,500 in right now) I’d sell it and buy something else I wanted.
I say go for it.
Zap!
I have to disagree. First of all, when you decided to restore the car was it so you could resell it at a profit? There are people who do this, but they usually only have the car for a couple of weeks at most. Secondly, you said that you’ve invested $15,000 in the car. Does this figure include all of the labor you put into it? If not, you wouldn’t really be making a profit.
And sure you could replace it with another GTO, but it really wouldn’t be the same, would it? And you’d be buying it from someone who wanted to sell it. Why do you suppose they would want to sell it? Could it be because there’s something wrong with it?
The bottom line is you said you didn’t feel ready to part with it now. So don’t do it. There’s no hurry and you can always change your mind later.
389 or 421?
Does it have triple deuces?
::whimpers::
Put ‘1966 GTO’ in the search box at ebay.com & select ‘highest prices first’
I like this one:
1966 Pontiac GTO Black FREE SHIPPING !!!
item=1815464340
Wow, that one is neat.
There are a few of them there, I think you should take the money if he really has it. Cash you say? 20’s? Hmmmm. Did you run the VIN number through carfax.com? Maybe you can find out if it really is his…
racer… how YOU doin’? 
That’s my dream car… If you decide not to sell it, you can always e-mail one of us later. I’ll be around a while. When you’re ready, you just let me take that bad boy off your hands.
:: talking to the GTO now::
Come to mama…
Take the money and run…
right out and find you an AC Cobra to restore. The sweetest car ever made.
Don’t be mislead by the Shelby 350 and 500. Insist on the real deal!
I sold my 1970 Olds Cutlass Supreme convertible last year. Every time I think of it, or see an old picture of it, I get a sharp pang in my heart. The only reason I sold it was because I hardly ever drove it, and I needed some money at the time.
Still, 25,000 is a lot to turn down. Especially when you consider you can probably find another to replace it for less money.
You need to honestly ask yourself why you own this car. Will it kill you to look out in your driveway and not see it? Will 25,000 dollars be enough to salve your pain at knowing someone else is owning and driving your baby?
One more thing, if he’s calling you up and offering 25,000, then he’s probably even willing to go higher.
Slow down, hoss - are you sure that check is going to be good? What if it bounces? You’re out a car and money. Now hey, I’m the first one to know that scruffy looking people does not equal no money people (my dad’s the king of scruffy, and he’s a doctor. He went to a BMW dealership once in jeans and a sweatshirt and they wouldn’t even talk to him. So he marched himself over to the Dodge dealership and bought himself a Viper.), but you did have that feeling for a reason.
If the guy recognized it at once, I’m sure he knows what he’s talking about and that he’s good for it. But is there a way to check before you sell your beauty? Just being the voice of caution here.
Otherwise, how much is the car worth to you? If it’s just a car, and you can get another, then maybe you should sell. Maybe it’s more fun for you to get another and use the money to fix it up nice too. But if it’s got sentimental attachments or whatever and you’re really torn over it, maybe hold on to it for a while. You can always get the guy’s number for when you’re ready to sell.
Good luck. Oh, and nice car, by the way - my dad used to have three. A '64, '67, and '72. Damn fine cars.
Snicks
20 gs goes, but the car will hang around.
I’d keep it.
Don’t you be blaspheming here. Sell a '66 Goat? You gotta be dry humping me. Sweet jesus, that was the dream car of any one that went to high school in the 1970’s.
After talking to the gentleman’s wife, I have decided to not sell him the car. She told me he has a heart condition and suffers from diabetes. He has been in a couple of accidents lately and she wishes he would not drive at all. The offer was tempting, especially considering I found a 69 Torino Cobra convertible I would really like to have. Thanks for all the input.
You made the right choice, believe me. I’ve had three cars in my life that I wish to goddess I’d never gotten rid of. One was a 71 Chrysler Newport 4 door with a 383, the next was a 1980 Jeep Cherokee, and the third was a 65 Ford Ranchero (that someone had stuffed a 302 into!). Each one of those cars I got rid of for some stupid reason and I’ve hated myself for it ever since. What’s worse, is it’ll be a long time before I can afford to get another car that I’ll like as much as any of those. Keep the goat until you find another car that you “just gotta have.” That way you’ll have no regrets. (Or at least fewer regrets.)