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Is she worth it?

17K views 61 replies 15 participants last post by  Citation84 
#1 ·
So I am new here, as I said elsewhere, and am looking at buying a 1975 Plymouth Valiant. It has 519k on the Slant 6 engine (225HP I believe), and the bottom of the trunk is almost rusted out from where a weather seal broke. She has been her in the South for her whole life, and the current owner doesn't like to do body work, which is why he is selling her. He wants $650 for it. Is she worth it?
 
#2 ·
In my opinion it is to much for it with the mileage and trunk condition. Unless you are good at body work which can be a pain and if the trunk has rust I would bet it has some other rust issues. I would offer him $300 for it. Does it have 519k or was that a misprint ?
 
#5 ·
The price on these cars has risen and it doesn't seem reasonable to be quibbling about $300 - the real question is how bad the damage really is and how much it'll cost to fix. The rear quarter panels are the big rust area, the inside of the trunk can probably be fixed relatively easily just because it's not visible from outside so you don't need to match paint colors. 519,000 miles on the same engine seems... well, high.
 
#7 ·
Here's the thing, $650 is probably not far off the scrap value of the car. Also, the sum of the individual parts values will probably exceed $650. So the price is realistic if you are looking for a parts car. I would suggest spending a few more dollars and look for something with less miles/rust if you plan on restoring it.
 
#12 ·
At a glance it doesn't look too bad.

Missing rad cap, air cleaner on the seat and speaker holes in the door don't inspire confidence.

First thing that jumps out is the low ride height.

Torsion bars may be adjusted low on purpose or the cross member could be rusted away.

If you're happy with how it starts, runs and drives you need to check out the chassis.

Rusted trunk is one thing, rotten unibody is another.

It is an eye catching color and the grille, trim, etc all look pretty good.

If the wheel well and rocker trim are factory metal that's a good sign too.

The front end body parts would be worth the price for someone fixing a damaged 2 dr.

The ODO only goes to 99,999 so I'm guessing it reads 51,900, not 519,000

Might have 159, 259, 359, etc but reads 51,900

Thanks
Randy
 
#13 ·
Just don't be disappointed when you realize that you typed HP instead of CID. The slant-6 had 225 cubic inches of displacement (and two smaller sizes), and only about 95-100 net HP.
 
#14 ·
Misreading some things happens. The trunk was due to a bad weather seal, but it looks like the wiper bearings would have to be replaced, as the toe board shows water damage (cracked rubber and a small hole). The air intake and the radiator both function, the current owner fixed those when he first got it. Radiator cap was in the front seat in the photo. Are you sure those only role to 99,999? There was a 6th rollover in the dash, looked like it had just hit 8, that made me think it was 519,1(?)8. The torsion bar on one side does need replacing, that's also why the hood is slightly out of alignment. Either way, she sounds smoother than some of the cars I had been driving.
 
#15 ·
Those are a five digit mileage plus the tenths of miles. 51,91x.8 for example. The most the odometer would read is 99,999.9 miles, just 1/10th shy of 100k miles.
looking at the front seat it looks like a 51k mile car, not a 519k mile car.
 
#21 ·
It should show mileage on the title Where I live it has A,B,C on it . A being actual, B over the allowed mech limits and C unknown. What does the title say on it for mileage ? I just sold a 87 Dodge 600 with 88K on it and the title showed 67K so I knew it was right.
 
#24 ·
If the only tile changes were 1975, 1992 and 2006 as stated earlier, there is no way the title changes will corroborate the mileage. And add to that that many times, no matter what the mileage, the title is often marked exempt from mileage reporting due to the age of the car in many states so there is no indication if it's original or rolled over. Ideally you would want service records throughout the life of the car to track mileage over the years. I had a stack of paperwork for my 32k mile Dodge Mirada proving it never exceeded the limits of the odometer.
 
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#28 ·
Some states have had emissions testing for decades. They always took down the mileage reading and put it in a computer somewhere. Dealerships might have also. All titles that I've seen have a line for mileage. However, some states do not issue a title if a vehicle is a certain number of years old.

Rust never sleeps.
 
#32 ·
Carfax can have errors, but often if you see total continuity of the mileage, it can be trusted.
The inspection place I used messed up my Carfax record at least twice. I have the 5-digit odometer and they reported it as 129K miles, next time 32K miles instead of 132K. Next time I told them not to make the same mistake, and they reported it as about 85K miles (mistaking the 3 for an 8), or some such sequence. So now I'm flagged twice on that car for potential odometer tampering.
 
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