Hi,
I'm new to this great forum and have found a car that I really like, and the type I have wanted since my youth, and am going to more than likely buy this car tomorrow:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Cars-Trucks___1971-Chevelle-Malibu_W0QQitemZ200256814503QQddnZCarsQ20Q26Q20Tru cksQQddiZ2282QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item200256814503&_trkparms=39%3A1%7C65%3A7%7C240%3A1318&_trksid=p4506.c0.m245

Can you guys take a look at this and tell me what you think of this car and what I need to look for and what questions to ask.

Thanks in advance !

Keith, did you win the bid? If so I think you got a very good buy. Its not very often you seen one that has not been cloned. Good find.

I did win the bid and I've been so excited I haven't been able to sleep the last two nights.

I'm pretty much committed to buying it....so I hope I'm not dissapointed. I've had a couple of camaro's and such, but i've always covetted the chevelles !

Never bought a used car this old and just need some help in asking the right questions and how to properly check it out.

Thanks again.

I think you did good on it. And yes it is hard to find one that has not been cloned.

Looks like a NICE car. Since it was "frame off" and there is a pic of the body sitting on stands....... probably pretty well done. The only thing I would do would be loose the "bling" under the hood. Nice, simple original type finishes would set the car off. If the resto is recent it would be too soon to pick up rust areas, etc. Don't worry about it and just enjoy. From the looks of it, it should drive like new. Just check that it doesn't pull either way and brakes, lights, dash, etc. all function. If they do, its probably good to go.

Keith, there are a couple of items check and ask about. Where are the head rests for the seats?

Check the engine oil and trans fluid. Make sure no one starts it before you get there. You want to start it when it has been sitting overnight.

Check around the mouldings for the vinyl top, usually there are bubbles in the paint and/or top.

Check the inside of the quarters from looking in the trunk. Feel the wheel lips.

These are a few things to check.

Thanks for the responses and encouragment...looking forward to being an active member of this forum.

Hopefully this car drives as good as it looks...I've got about a 220 mile drive home after picking it up.

Thanks !

Thanks Tim...this is the kind of info I need for tomorrow.

Hopefully it will be mechanically sound, it looks like a nice deal! :thumbsup:
Let us know how it is!

Keith,
Congrats on the Chevelle purchase.
I'm in Marietta so if 'ya need anything when passing thru, give me a holler...678-772-5415 :thumbsup:

If the text in the ad is truthful, I think you did quite good. Congrats and welcome to TC.

I think you did real good. Deals like that are pretty rare in my neck of the woods, even during hard economic times.

Looks like a great find for the money. Definately a car to enjoy. COngrAts!!

Looks like you own the car. Any questions you have or more info you want, you should have gotten before you bid. Hopefully this is a very nice car and you will be thrilled. You have bought the car. So, questions should have been asked before now. I don't think you "pretty much committed to buy it". I think you did commit to buy it. Good luck, it looks like you did good.

Nice looking car, looks like a fair deal to me. :thumbsup: But as someone trying to sell a car, I'm a little concerned about you saying "possibly" buy after you already won the bid on ebay. You already bought the car, you didn't buy the right to go look at the car after the fact and then ask questions - you should've done that BEFORE you bid on it. This is why I probably will not try to sell my car on ebay.

Do buyers remorse laws apply? the 3 day thing... is that still alive?

Do buyers remorse laws apply? the 3 day thing... is that still alive?

Not when you buy a car via Ebay. You might get out of it but as said above you have entered into a contract to purchase not the right to inspect and then buy. It is best to look at things in person BEFORE you enter that contract. IMO buyers remorse laws are urban myths. Yeah a dealer might be accommodating and work with you but that type of stuff does not apply to private party deals.

Looks like a pretty clean car from the pictures. Of cours epictures can and do lie. But if it looks close to the pics you got a decent enough deal.

Nice looking car, looks like a fair deal to me. :thumbsup: But as someone trying to sell a car, I'm a little concerned about you saying "possibly" buy after you already won the bid on ebay. You already bought the car, you didn't buy the right to go look at the car after the fact and then ask questions - you should've done that BEFORE you bid on it. This is why I probably will not try to sell my car on ebay.

No, that wasn't the way it was...he told me to come by and check it out, no deposit needed, and if it wasn't what I wanted I was out nothing.

As it turns out...I just got home about an hour ago with my new baby !!
Car drove like a charm...although I gotta admit going through Atlanta at 1:00 pm on the bypass was kind of scary. Mainly because I have not gotten the car insured yet. But now it's home safe in the garage.

Only problem I noticed at all..besides the gas mileage, was that the speedometer was off by about 15 miles, and made a chirping noise at certain speeds...between say 50 & 80 mph, but not all the time. Has anyone ever encountered that problem and reccommend a solution ?

Thanks for the responses and I'm looking forward to being an active member in this forum.

Thanks,
Keith

Congrats Keith.. The speedo problem sounds like a worn or rusty speedo cable. Try removing it from the dash and spray WD-40 into it. If that doesn't work, You may need to replace it.

Congrats Keith.. The speedo problem sounds like a worn or rusty speedo cable. Try removing it from the dash and spray WD-40 into it. If that doesn't work, You may need to replace it.

Thanks for the response....I gotta tell you...on the way home my wife was a little bit behind me in case something went wrong...when i passed TALLADEGA SPEEDWAY I called her and said go on ahead..I'm gonna take a couple of laps !

Also, very neat...going through Atlanta went by Denny Hamlin's (11) and Tony Stewart's (20).. my guy !!! car haulers ....and Kyle Busch was nowhere to be scene !

In closing, my wife was very pissed that the car had headers going to glasspacks :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

Good luck with your new toy! I hope you enjoy it.:thumbsup:

Use the graphite lube on the speedo cable. Any solvent based liquid has a tendancy to gum things up. You might be able to take it loose at the tranny, pull the cable out, clean it, graphite it, and put it back in. Hows' the underside of the car?? Has it really been off the frame??

Congrats............ and Kyle's rig was probably up against a fence somewhere or he blew up the engine :D

Not when you buy a car via Ebay. You might get out of it but as said above you have entered into a contract to purchase not the right to inspect and then buy. It is best to look at things in person BEFORE you enter that contract. IMO buyers remorse laws are urban myths. Yeah a dealer might be accommodating and work with you but that type of stuff does not apply to private party deals.

Back in 1993 my wife and I bought a new '93 Bonneville SSE from one of our local Pontiac dealers. Two days later, we gave it back to them and the paperwork was shredded...

Congratulations Keith. Does it look like a real frame off resto?

Congratulations Keith. Does it look like a real frame off resto?

Not really sure what to look for...I'm gonna take some photos with my cannon camera this weekend and will post them and maybe someone can tell.

Not going to have insurance coverage on it until Monday, which sucks because I wanted to drive it to the race Sunday at Talladega.

I'm not much of a gearhead...but plan to learn. In the meantime... any advice on who to turn to if small problems arise such as the speedometer issue ? I live in Birmingham, Alabama and would definately prefer a private garage or person over a chain.

Anyone from this area that has a suggestion ?

Thanks,
Keith

Not going to have insurance coverage on it until Monday, which sucks because I wanted to drive it to the race Sunday at Talladega.



One thing to keep in mind about these old cars, they are exceptionally easy to break into and steal. Personally, I don't take mine anywhere I can't keep an eye on it at least 85% of the time.

I'm not much of a gearhead...but plan to learn. In the meantime... any advice on who to turn to if small problems arise such as the speedometer issue ? I live in Birmingham, Alabama and would definately prefer a private garage or person over a chain.

Anyone from this area that has a suggestion ?

Thanks,
Keith

You're in the right place, Kieth. Any question you could possibly come up with, it's guaranteed that someone here on TC will be able to help you and be able to walk you through it. If you really can't figure it out, there's probably someone that lives close to you and will be more than willing to stop by and help out.

Before I got my Chevelle, I had never even changed the oil in a car. Last winter I changed the cam and completely re-did the top end of my engine by myself, and with the help of TC. Learn to use the search button, it can keep you busy reading for days. There's not a better car site around, at least that I know of.

Thanks Brad,
Although I've only been a member here a few days...I can already tell that this is a great forum with very helpful folks that have a ton of knowledge.