66 convert or 67 hardtop?

OK, I've narrowed down my search somwehat. Give me a few honest opinions please.

Car #1:
1966 GTO convertible. Some kind of red w/ black top/ black interior. Replaced and allegedly rebuilt 389 motor. Replaced tranny w/ 400 auto. Miles unknown. Console shift. Vacuum gauge on console. Restored about 2 years ago. Suspension redone. New interior. Power disc conversion. Power steering. Power top w/ glass window. Rally gauges and tach, rally I wheels. 5 year old paint. Nice chrome. Looks nice. After-market stereo in dash w/ CD in trunk. Originally from Boston. no rust. Claims to be a "show-winner". Not numbers matching... in fact, none of the numbers match! aluminum radiator. Replaced quarters. Aprox $28,000.00 (Car is now here, in Los Angeles)

Car #2:
1967 GTO Hardtop. Signet Gold w/ black cordova vinyl top. Gold interior. Wood steering wheel. Factory Air cond (converted to r-134 and works!) Factory stereo 8 track, factory am radio, orig 400 motor, orig his n hers shifter, console, power discs, power steering, tilt wheel, rally gauges and tach, rally I wheels, rear speaker, interior light group, trunk and hood lights, deluxe seat belts, safety trak rear end. PHS documents verify every option and color. Numbers matching everything. 88,000 original miles. newer paint same color. Beautiful car. no rust. Not restored, just well cared for. Includes 2 boxes full of 8 track tapes! (all c&w) Texas car.
Aprox $26,000.00 (car is still in Texas, but I had it inspected)

So...which one would you choose? (Oh, by the way, I already have a 68 Camaro convertible, so I'm not dying for a convertible...i was almost ready to pull the trigger on the gold one when I saw the red one. it was the price that caught my attention. Seems like convertibles are more valuable, but the 67 is historically correct...thats my dilema!)



1966 GTO convertible
1968 Camaro convertible
[www.stevewaddington.com]

Steve - This seems like a no brainer to me....67 Hardtop, hands-down. It is all original, sounds well equipt and in my opinion is worth more than the 66 because nothing is original on it. If you are not bent on a convertible, since you already have one, why not add a hardtop to your collection? It has working AC, so it isn't like you will need the top off to keep cool...

Just my two cents...

I would take the 67 over the convert, for one is orig motor matching number's any thing with matching number's are a good way to go not many around any more.But if the 66 is a true GTO might be worth more in the long run but I would take the 67 the options are nice ..68 gto hard top All numbers matching,68 gto convert matching number'd convert in the work's. well unless the convert is a true GTO any GTO convert, is worth alot more



travis williams

I agree



travis williams

Ok..So, here's the skinny...
I bought the 66 convertible for a couple of reasons...
The dealer in Texas would not budge on the price, and not being restored, the price seemed a little high for a hardtop. Nice car, but just a bit over-priced for me. And I wasn't really crazy about the color combo. The car is all original, numbers matching, so better to leave it to someone who wants it, and will preserve it, exactly as it is. When I looked at all the ads for comparable vehicles, the convertible seemed to be a better "bang for the buck", so to speak. And, not being numbers-matching, I can do anything I want to the car without worrying about its historical value. And a classic, convertible muscle-car in Los Angeles just seems a better fit!
And yet, I was still a little unsure of the motor, so I took some advice I received both here and from my wife (who absolutely LOVES this car and hated the gold one...I was already doomed ) and I offered him thousands less. We went back and forth a bit, but I think we're all pretty happy with the outcome. The end result is I got the convertible for less than the hardtop. And, The difference between what he wanted and what I paid will probably get me new heads and a tri-power set up if I want! And its a convertible to boot! The convertibles seem to be bringing a lot more money, so if I ever decide to sell it, I should be OK.

The heads are stamped 143, very hard to make out, but thats what they are. I couldn't get the rest of the numbers, lost the light and time, but I will get the rest of the engine numbers on Tuesday when I pick up the car.
From what I've read, this makes these heads from a 67 motor. Maybe he's right, it might be a 67, or maybe its a 66 motor with 67 heads. Or its the step-down, lower compression, lower horsepower 400. (This was one argument that I used as a bargaining chip for the price of the car). But the motor has been gone through, and has the MSD and 4 bbl, so it probably re-captured a little of the lost h.p. And the car does run strong. With the suspension upgrades he made and the power disc brakes and custom aluminum radiator, new wiring and charging system, it should be a great daily driver. Besides, this week I'm dropping a ZZ430 in the Camaro, so that will be the "hot-rod".
All in all, I think I did alright.
Oh yeah, I almost forgot to mention, I sold my 68 Mercedes 280 SL on Friday for a little more than the cost of the GTO, so its like trading up to a bigger car and putting a little coin in the pocket.
Now I have to change my signature!



1966 GTO convertible
1968 Camaro convertible
[www.stevewaddington.com]

Nice deal sound''s good Being in cali i would have went with the convert my self hope thing's work out with new baby...
68 R/A gto
68 gto convet in the works
and to many other cars to list.
Travis williams@EdWilliams machine



travis williams

The way socal has been latley you need all the insulation you can get. I live along with coast and it has gotten as low as 34 degrees. Haha.

Convertible all the way............