about 3 weeks ago i was driving down the road behind my house and there's always a few cars for sale, well that day there was this little 62 lemans convert sitting out there with a really cheap price on it. i wasn't looking for a car at the time but it was a deal i couldn't p*** up so i called the owner and he said he couldn't meet me for about an hour. i go and run an arrand and call him on my way back tell him i'm on my way to the car. he says he's already there, well i get to the car a few minutes later to find two different guys already working out a deal with him. i ended up offering them both $100 not to buy the car but the one guy wants it for his son and he had cash on him so he was the new owner. i was kicking myself for like 3-4 days after missing such a great deal, but what could i do other than let it go. fast forward to today, i get a call from my dad saying some guy stopped by the house and said he had an old pontiac for sale. the new owner lives 20 miles away so it was just a totaly random thing, he'd never met my dad before but figured he might be interested because of the other "old cars" sitting in the driveway. long story short i call the guy and it's the same car, it turns out his kid didn't want it because he couldn't afford to get it repainted, which it doesn't even really need. so i ended up getting it today for a few hundred more than before but it's still a really great deal. somehow everything worked out good for me which seems like a rare thing lately. here's some specs 62 lemans convert, rebuilt 4cyl, transaxle and all suspension, the white interior is new as is the white top, the tires, brakes, generator etc are all new. the only thing the car really needs is the aluminum trim that goes around the grill as it's pretty beat up. anyways today was a good one and i figured i'd show off my new toy.
don't really want to say, i haven't made up my mind what i'm gonna do with it. when it was first for sale a few weeks ago i was planning on probably reselling it, but i sold my model a and suburban since then so i might keep it for awhile. it sure does drive nice and probably gets double the gas mileage of anything else i own.
Wow, it's funny how things work out. I bet the guy you bought it from was surprised to see you again.
Great car and great story. I had a chance to pickup a 61 Tempest wagon a few years ago and couldn't make it- I still kick myself. Nice ride bro.
My mom had one as her first car, it was a few years old. She reports it wasn't too peppy. Even got stuck going up a hill packed with some large friends.
i spent the day cleaning it up and driving it around a little, and yes it is slow, reallly slow but i put about 40 miles on it today and the gas gauge didn't move( yes it works). i also went throught the trunk and found all the reciepts and a ton of owner and repair manuels for it. i added up all the receipts and the they are more than 12.5k just over the last 3 years. also since everything mechanical was rebuilt, engine, trans, steering, suspension etc the car only has 400 miles on it. i think i'm gonna keep this one for awhile, at least till gas prices go down.
I had a '62 LeMans coupe years ago, and it was a fun little car. Of course, I paid a whopping $80 for it in '82. Most 389 pieces will work in it, and they were available in high performance trim with 10.5:1 compression and a 4bbl.
Man - that's cool. I'd drive the **** outta that. I inquired about a 62 Olds 88 droptop about 3 months ago from a used car place down the street. Guy wanted 11,500. WAY TOO MUCH RUST. It was a good 40 foot car though. Have fun.
The Jalopy Journal
