15 Year old into 1968 Buicks - New to the forum!

Hey all,
Im 15 years old and I've been searching for a 1968 Buick Skylark since November. I love the car! I know a good deal about old cars and how to fix them too. I just got my Illinois permit 3 weeks ago, and I'm learning to ropes fast. I have been running craigslist wanted ads for months and someone from New York referred me to here. I figured that I could get my message out on here. Unfortunately, I can't get a job (other than selling stuff on eBay and CL), so I only have about $1000-1200 to spend on a car. Then the long process of restoration begins! Original is sometimes better!
Great to be on the forum!
Thanks!

 

welcome to the forum.
you picked the right place to hunt.
there are many knowledgeable buick folks here.
look around and ask questions.:TU:

 

And your first name is?...If we are going to help you, we will want to call you by your name....right?
And welcome to the board! I remember when I was 15 in 1968 and couldn't get enough of Buicks!

Buick Eric / Oregon :3gears:

 

Sorry, names Ryan.

 

Welcome to the board. My advice to you is wait a little longer and save a little more money. When you find something you like, run it past the guys here. We'll steer you right.

 

About 30 miles north of Chicago.

 

Come on Jason he's got 1200, you shud be able to get him a nice garage kept 68 off some little old lady no? Or 2??? lmao


Welcome Ryan, i'll keep an eye out for ya and keep you posted.

 

Welcome aboard Ryan, from "down under". Always pleased to see some one from the younger generation into older cars.

You'll learn a lot from the people here. Its the first place I go to when I'm seeking Buick advice.

Cheers,

Chris

 

Hello Ryan,

Welcome to the board. This is a great place to start. I'm currently working on my own 1968 GS400. I am amazed at how many 68-69 GS lovers there are. I always thought the 68 wasn't that popular but their sure seems to be a lot of us who like them. You'll find many of us 68 buick lovers here.

The fact that you like 68 Buick's tells me your a smart kid..... lol

Heres my advise ....at $1000 bucks your not going to get much. Your probably going to get into something that's more then you really want to or are capable of handling. Unless your family owns a body shop your better off saving your money until you can get closer to $5000-$6000. At around $5000 you can find a fairly solid car that will need much less body work. You'll save yourself a great deal of money and time if you find a solid car with the fewest rust possible.

I did exactly that when I bought my my first car. I too was just 15years old. I drove from Michigan to Alabama with my brother where we found a 64 Chevelle SS sitting in a field next to a barn. The body and interior were pretty good but the mechanical side needed a great deal of work. We brought the car home pulled the engine and trans and went to work. Two years later, after a lot of swap meet parts, I had a drivable car that I could continue to build on. I honestly believe that had I bought a car that needed a lot of body work then that the car would still be sitting there because I'd have lost interest. In my opinion Body work is the hardest, most expensive and time consuming. I always avoid cars that need a bunch of it. You maybe able to find a solid car without a motor and build from there.

Thats my advise to you.... Hope it helps.

Good luck -- We can always use one more Buick lover out there.

 

Here's a 68 convertible for $1500 being sold as parts.

It will give you an idea of what you can get.

http://detroit.craigslist.org/mcb/cto/4853958441.html

Heres a 68 riviera I found .... It's a complete car but it needs a lot of work. $1350

https://detroit.craigslist.org/wyn/cto/4825939233.html

 

Welcome Ryan! 15 is when I started looking for a Buick as well. Looked at about 5 over the course of 3 years before I found mine and if there is one thing I will advise on is not to jump into something just because its there. Its worth being patient for the right car and like AC said, the right amount of work. Good luck with the search! :TU:

 

Stepchild Nation! Welcome future member!
Patrick

 

Thanks everyone for the advice!
A lot of people I've talked to say that I should wait, but the thing is, I really don't want to wait. I know I need to find the right one (I've been looking since November and I've only found a few out of the hundreds I've called about). Here's one that I got a call about - it's a 68 Skylark Custom, $800 OBO (thinking $400 maybe a good price for it), guy says that the floorboards are ok, trunk needs help, frame is solid, interior looks ok from the pictures, but they don't show much. It's been siting in a field since he got it from Colorado. It has the 350 ci. Needs all the basic stuff like brakes, brake lines, carb rebuild, tires, and fuel lines and all that stuff.

 

Getting started off right! That $800 one isnt too bad if you're willing to invest the blood/sweat/tear equity into it. Make you a better driver since you wont want to bang it up, and hide a few Jimmies in the back..better to have em and not need em!

 

You've gotten some good advice here, but I understand everyone needs to make their own decisions. I just want to point out it takes money to fix cars, even if you do all the work yourself. If you get that car, odds are it will sit a while until you get enough money to fix all the basics.

Also another thing I've learned over the years - whatever you think a project car will need, multiply it by at least 2. There will be things you won't know needs fixing until you start getting into it.

 

Welcome to the board. I am more into the full size cars but 68 was a great year for all of them. Had a great many 68's over the years!

 

+1 and may I add that when things need fixing there is the snowball effect. "for a few dollars more".
I'm living that dream right now. I just wanted to change some front end bushing on a 67. it's in full frame off restoration now.:TU: