1968 Pontiac LeMans - Cool or Not

[jyl]

Have a line on a 1968 Pontiac LeMans needing "a little TLC" for $3500.

Would be for my 17 y/o son. Careful, sober driver, not into speed. His idea of a cool car is an old Beetle or old Volvo.

Thoughts?

[911boost]

engine? pictures?

[look 171]

I would get him something safer, more modern or an slightly older Volvo.

[jyl]

No details, trying to get the person's number, just trying to figure out if it makes any sense at all. Drinks gas, no safety features, poor handling, lots of power, cop magnet . . . hmm, maybe I want it for me.

[dad911]

Best Used Cars for Teens - Consumer Reports

Screw cool factor. Modern safety features save lives.

[BeyGon]

heck yeah, great car.

[Tobra]

I always liked them

There is a guy up the street that is an old VW wrench who picks up bugs and the occasional bus, fixes them up and sells them. He has one out there right now, well more than one, but one with a sign on it. If you like I can walk the dog on the other side of the street and check it out.

I would prefer my kid rolling in the Pontiac to the bug. I guess you could put disc brakes on the front of either one of them, and I would, but I like the heavier car.

[LakeCleElum]

Fun car, but always considered it a Poor Man's GTO.

[WPOZZZ]

Originally Posted by jyl

No details, trying to get the person's number, just trying to figure out if it makes any sense at all. Drinks gas, no safety features, poor handling, lots of power, cop magnet . . . hmm, maybe I want it for me.

Exactly! We think it is cool, our kids, not so much. Get him a Civic or a Fit.

[jyl]

Originally Posted by Tobra

I always liked them

There is a guy up the street that is an old VW wrench who picks up bugs and the occasional bus, fixes them up and sells them. He has one out there right now, well more than one, but one with a sign on it. If you like I can walk the dog on the other side of the street and check it out.

I would prefer my kid rolling in the Pontiac to the bug. I guess you could put disc brakes on the front of either one of them, and I would, but I like the heavier car.

If you happen to chat with him, I'd be interested in whatever he wants to share. Good and bad options, parts availability, value, etc.

[LeeH]

Next door neighbor's 17 year old son got T boned pulling out in front of someone. Parents said they considered him a very safe driver. Side airbags probably saved his life.

[look 171]

Originally Posted by jyl

maybe I want it for me.

We all knew that

[wdfifteen]

VERY cool car. Not a good choice for a young driver.

[Tervuren]

Well, if we want to share personal experiences on kids who didn't drive a Volvo as their first car; I survived saving up and buying a Porsche 944 as my first car.

The LeMans will require looking ahead a lot farther at what is going on, some can do it, some can't.

[911boost]

No Vanagon or late bay for him jyl?

[pavulon]

cool? sure--especially to you and guys your age. Reasonable for a new driver? In 1975 it probably was.

[Baz]

Are you kidding me?

I would buy it in a heartbeat, as long as my son liked it.

[ckelly78z]

My senior year of high school (1983), I had a Gold 1970 lemans with a white interior, 350 2bbl auto transmission. I loved that car, and never had any safety issues. I really liked the fact that there was no "B' pillar, so when all 4 windows were down (all manual crank windows) it felt like the next best thing to a convertible.

As an adult, I have been slowly scanning the sale adds for a 68-70 Lemans/GTO that I can restore for a cruising car.

I think the car could be made much safer with good new tires and a brake upgrade, along with some stiffer suspension bushings. My car was kind of a sloppy handling car probably due to bad shocks, and worn suspension.

[HardDrive]

Cool car, but I would not put my kid in it.

'Needs TLC' = 'Needs $10,000 to be a decent runner.'

[74-911]

My first new car was a '69 LeMans (350 2bl with 350 automatic). Engine and transmission were bullet proof, very easy to work on and it would move on down the road. Typical of cars of that era the build quality left something to be desired (quickly developed rattles (hardtops in particular rattled when windows down), paint job- fit and finish were not particularly good, prone to develop GM cancer around in the lower corners of the rear window. Drum brakes definitely need to be upgraded and suspension was a bit mushy as I recall.

As to giving to a teen for a daily driver? Think I would pass for something a bit safer, i.e. crush zones, air bags, better gas mileage, etc.

footnote: A friend i went to high school with bought a new black '69 GTO and still has it. Had it completely restored a few years ago and it is probably better than when new?