El Camino Central - FAQ: What is it worth & Where can I Find one- An ElCamino Buyers guide

AHSOM70 writes "When buying an old car, its always a challenge to know what you are getting into; Afterall you are talking about a 15+ year old vehicle, and with that many years there can be an untold number of problems- but with a few tips on what to lookout for, and some idea of what a good price for the car is, you can come away with a great classic ElCamino.

What is it worth? How much should I pay?

There are several ways to figure this out- Not one of them is rock solid exact, there will always be differnces based on area, and popularity of the car, but these places can be used to get a good idea:

Pricing Guides offer average price ranges for vehicles:
www.kellybluebook.com
www.nadaguides.com
www.autoappraisal.com
www.manheimgold.com/car_lo.html
www.cpivalueguide.com

ClassifiedAds are also a good place to find going rates:
www.collectorcartraderonline.com
www.fossilcars.com

I found a car I like- What problems should I watch for?

Congratulations on finding a car you like! Now is the tough part- finding out all the little problem the owner doesn't want to tell you about. Here are some hints:

Rear Window Rust & leaks-
ElCaminos of ALL YEARS are natorious for leaking back windows. This can cause major rust problems. Look for bubbling paint on the body immediatly around the bottom part of the rear window. Sometimes the rust is hidden by the window chrome- A good idea if the owner will let you, is to take a garden hose and spray water on the roof & back window of the car for a few minutes- then open the door and look at the rear wall to see if any of it comes in- If there is water running in- Find another car.

Smugglers Box-
ElCaminos have a small compartment at the front of the bed- On 78-87 Elcaminos, it sealed and is only accessable from inside the car- It is not as much a problem. On 64-77 elcaminos, there is a panel at the front of the bed- because of that panel, it is very common to find a lot of rust under it! There is a plastic tool box insert that can be accessed from the driver side. If possible remove the box and look inside for rust problems, if not possible, look under the car at the floor pan in that location for rust holes (usually forms around the metal plugs that are there)

Frame/Underside of Car
ElCaminos are a full framed car- because of that, you need to check and see that the frame is not bent or badly rusted. Before buying an elcamino(or any other car for that matter) you want to crawl underneath and make sure there is no excessive rust anywhere- many Elcaminos have been used to haul boats- and launch them, that means the rear end & bottom of the bed may have experienced lots of rust- watch out for it!
A hint to remember- Excessive undercoating can be a sign that someone is trying to hide rust!

Getting Repair Parts-
1959-60 - Because of the rarity of these cars, there are not too many parts available.

1964-72 - Many parts are available- Body panels, interior, suspension, etc etc. There are several resoration catalogs out there that will contain nearly everything you need:
www.yearone.com
www.opgi.com
www.npdlink.com
www.ss396.com

1973-77 - There is not a whole lot of items for these cars being reproduced yet- however parts are beginning to appear in the restoration catalogs more frequently now, and many interior items, as well as suspension & some body panels are now available. You best source for parts however will be junk yards on wrecked vehicles.

1978-87 - Like the 73-77 cars, there is not too many items being reproduced for these years- Luckily there are many parts still available brand new from GM.

Hopefully, armed with these hints, you will be able to find the right car for you!

Note: Submitted by: AHSOM70 "