When I was in college, I really wanted to factory order a 1977 Z/28 from this place that would do it for $100 over invoice- around $5,250 at the time. It was a one-off year with the grille and front bumper. Still like the look of it.
I used to read the classifieds in the LA Times, too. I watched V12 XKE roadsters vary between $8-12K there. God knows what other bargains lurked there. Got a 1977 Lancia Scorpion in blue with 200 miles on it for $8,000. I must have signed 100 disclosures and waivers on it- I think I bought it from Fiat Corporate or something. It was a cool enough car, but I could have done so much better with something else.
The Road & Track classifieds were the best.