Hello from Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan!

Just wondering if the "Trading Post" type of ad-paper is national. I know you can get a Trading Post anywhere in Va and they are regional. The one here always has a lot of potential project cars. Then there is the type of pulp magazine called something like "Car Trader" I see in a lot of gas stations, but usually they tend to be more finished cars at higher prices. Finally on some magazine stands you should find "Hemmings Motor News" which has a restorer source for many models and that is where most of the "good stuff" is at higher prices. Still the biological facts of life are that many cars saved by restorers often come up in estate sales and I tend to think that gradually a lot of those cars will be rodded. Then there are those junk yards operated by older owners where often models from the '30s and '40s are still out there in the trees rotting away. Still just thinking out loud, if you have a young family and have a home mortgage it might be better to find a late model for a project and just do a fix-up. One principle worth mentioning is that from what I have seen over the years your best bet is to find a 10 year old convertible of any make. It will have bottomed out in book value by now but NOS parts should still be available from many sources AND if fixed up it will only gain in value from now on. For whatever reason folks like a restored convertible for most resale value, but then there are many muscle car hulks out there although they are older models and either very expensive or rusty hulks. Just some rambling thoughts..

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder