If there is one car that truly defines “overvalued” in my book, it’s the E-body Plymouth Barracuda. Not the Hemi cars, or the 440-6 cars, or even the big-block cars are what I’m looking at. They have their value in rarity and desirability. If you go shopping for one of those with intent, I wish you and your bank account well and I hope you get the color you want. But the Barracuda has become a high-dollar car, so much so that finding one for sale for less than ten grand in any condition worth mentioning is actually a surprise. We aren’t talking driver-level cars, we are talking potential projects, usually at the farther end of “rough”. And most of them will change hands for the money asked, because an E-body ‘Cuda, even a later car with a small-block, is worthy of restoration to someone.
Which brings us to this 1973 Barracuda offered up for sale on eBay. It’s not an auction, the price is set at $7,500 and the car isn’t totally destroyed. It’s not great, either, but we will get to that in a second. It’s not wrecked. The trim is there, as is most of the interior. Slot mags at all four corners, and a hurried black paint job over the original blue paint. There is paperwork, there is documentation, and there is even some of the build sheet. That being said, you have eyes…there’s holes in the typical spots, the roof and rear quarter need to be replaced (and new skins are included in the sale), 20-to-1 that the trunk sheet metal will disappear with sandblasting, the interior needs a couple of days’ worth of detailing just to be habitable, an entire community of spiders needs to be evicted, and on the whole, the Barracuda needs to be gone through 100%, as any car that was last tagged in 1998 and has been stored for years before it ever turns a tire on it’s own again, let alone in proper anger.
So why is the Barracuda up for sale? This shop owner is getting out of the restoration business and this Plymouth was a saved project that is now on the block. For those who read my diatribe, yes, my inner car freak is screaming, but since I refuse to accept monetary donations regarding a project car into the “McTaggart’s A Broke-Ass” foundation, the Plymouth will go to the first person with the cash. I know that I’d plop down the money without blinking if I had it, just so I could spare one round-taillight Plymouth from becoming a six-figure build or worse, parted for another car, but what say you, readers? You know the markets, you know how mental Mopar folk can get…is the cash on the money for this forlorn fish?
eBay Link: 1973 Plymouth Barracuda
If you can do all the work yourself and spend less than $18,000 total – it would be worth buying. If not – it’s a loser.
If you blow up the tyres and get the lights to work, I wouldn’t even clean it up! You can’t replicate real patina & cobwebs. Clearcoat the dust & rust!! Lokk at the effort the best shops in the business that try to get this look. lt will be worth way more than 7.5k in todays wacky market, as is. It’s even has the sad face to go with it’s looks 3:)
Cheap at $7500.All you gotta replace is the top,and the quarters,and the trunk.Oh yea, the floors are shot.And the fuel tank.And the dried cracked interior parts that arent reproduced. And…
this is an ideal project for a father/son do. There aren’t many cars out there that are suitable for resto . Done correctly the “Cuda” should last for years . Done shoddy it’ll last 30 feet
Considering people spend six figures at least on the same body with the right options list and the right weird rare colour, sure it is worth the money. More time, work and money can make it into whatever you like. Who cares about originality. Your imagination can run free on this…
Most Often Passed Along Roadsides. Need I say more? Wouldn’t give you $2.00 for this POS. E bodies “look” nice but that is the only positive attribute.
Well worth the time and money taken up in recommissioning
Stick with a 318 complete with EFI and electronic ignition and somehow fit a Ford 5 speed or even 6 speed gearbox and you’d have a cruiser able to eat the miles and spare the wallet at the same time. I’d also go along with Blu67RS and go with the clearcoated look and even keep those wheels. This would be a keeper and would pay for itself in reduced running costs, especially since OPEC have halted overproduction of oil that could lead to substantial increases at the filling station.
If you fell like having a laugh at that statement by the way – wait three months or so and then I can safely say “I told you so”!
Why would I want to buy a car ‘barn fresh’? It’s not a blue chip car so just clean the car up to see what the potential buyer is getting. The car is only good for as restomod anyway, who in their right mind would restore it?
It needs a Hemi. Just like all small block mopars. That’s why they are expensive, because real Hemi E bodies are unobtainable for most folks. So the demand is high for good clone building material.
Some of these cars are like British teeth, not worth the expenditure.
This is a barn fine and I looked at it or a friend in Canada. Original invoice sheet and build sheet and just missing vin tag. Car is solid and all required new sheet metal included. This thing should be restored or at least make it look like original. A/C also. What else do you guys want? I would have bought it but finishing my own 74 E58 car. Wreck of a shell sold to Texas for $2000 that was way worse and incomplete in every way.
I’d be a broke SOB no matter what I do
I think people watch way too much ass monkey and barrett jackson..Way over inflated