Barn Find. 1968 Vista Cruiser

This has been parked in the same spot you see here since 1980.
No attempt to start it etc has been made.

Man selling it is looking for 'best offer' and based on the emails that came with the pictures there are 4 of is interrested in it.

Thoughts on value as it sits?

It's a New England car.. it's probably too far gone for an inexpensive refurb to make it a driver.

Valuable parts on it worth knowing about?
(I'm a Ford guy, don't know a lot about Vistas)

I'd appreciate any input~

Thanks,

 

I wouldnt give more then $300 for it and that only if the motor was free enuff to turn over. The interior is shot, as is the quarters. Does not look live very dry storage, so the floors and frame is likely full of flaky rust as well.

 

Whoever ordered this Vista Cruiser checked off a few good boxes...black paint with red interior...a great start. However, they didn't check off enough of them...manual brakes, no air, even manual outside mirror. Not even a luggage rack.
Of course, if this is a rust bucket, none of this matters. Too bad...'68 VC's are pretty wonderful!

David

 

Just because...



David

 

^^^ These look awsome in that off-white (almost beige) color......

 

The whole front clip will swap with Cutlass/442, although the trim is different. If the Vista glass hasn't started to delaminate, that is valuable too (the elements start to destroy the thin Mylar between the glass sheets). Third-row seat is valuable if it has one. The poverty caps look to be in good condition as does the dash pad. Tailgate and window mechanism.

It's hard to tell from just a few pictures, but it looks like it could be restored to at least brought back to driver status. BTW, it is in better condition than a 67 I bought as a parts car for $3000 about 4 years ago, but then the economy really tanked. The sheet metal was too good for me to chop it and I can't get my money out of it as it is, so it sits for now.

 

Probably rodent damage based on the mess on the passenger floor.
Dampness did the rest of the interior in.
Lots of light coming on between the barn boards,so not great protection.
Grille is broken,too.
Parts....that's all it's good for now.

 

1968 has to be my favorite year for Oldsmobile. Those spread headlights are outstanding. It would be great to make a 442 Vista Cruiser complete with the black striping on the fenders.

 

It is in better shape than the 70 Vista cruiser I sold about 5 years ago. That one was badly rusted and was smashed in the front. The guy bought it to finish off his collection of 1970 Olds Cutlass'es He had a convertible, 4dr and 2dr Ht. Just wante a wagon to finish it. Last I heard he was nearly done the restor. It needed the glass. They were all cracked.
I think that one is restroable. Should see some of the cars I had to work on.

 

i think they ordered it right ...with no roof racks.

Vista...You paid $3000 for a parts car!!!!!!!

Isn't that driver prices

 

I would agree. A '68 Vista Cruiser parts car is about $300 to $500 depending on exactly how much of it is usable. If it could be made to run, $700? $800? Somewhere in there.

Vista's comment about the vista glass is correct, too. If that glass is in good shape, it could be worth several hundred dollars all by itself to someone who is restoring another '68 and needs the glass for his car.

At least the car had a concrete floor and not dirt under it for the 31 year sit.

 

I like my roof rack, the more chrome the better, it has a woodgrain inlay and everything. Combined with the roof window hump the added height makes it the tallest car around.
If you went on a vacation with a few kids and all the luggage you had to have one or there wasn't much room in the car, with third seat passengers it's a necessity.
Wagons look weird without them to me too.


Any car in any condition can be restored, it's just a matter of how much time and/or money you want to spend.
Jack up the radiator cap and slide a clean body under that one. I live in the rust belt and know rust and that thing will eat you alive unless by some miracle the underbody, roof and side window channels and quarters are clean.
Why kill yourself restoring that?, you can buy Vistas with clean bodies out west for less the two grand and you have something to work with, for a grand or two more you can get a nice complete one with a decent interior that just needs some mechanical work and a paint job.
If you want it to make money on the parts you're going to have to work hard unless you can get it cheap.

 

I appreciate all the input guys..

I had no thoughts of fixing this one up to drive..
Anything is possible with money, but that car really isn't worth it.
Manual everything, base motor, trim missing, grill broken, brake line cut off, mice etc..

I was thinking if it could be had in the $300 - $500 range it might bring enough back in parts between the wagon specific stuff and the other items that could be used on a coupe or sedan that it might be worth doing..

I bet alot of the red interior panels and dash would clean up nice..
The chrome trim thats there looks decent.. hood is straight..
Front bumper looks straight.. some of the headlight bezels, parking lenses etc might be worth something to someone with a 68 since its a 1 year style. Who knows, maybe the tailgate is rust free.. and if the vista glass is good that would be a bonus..

I left a message for the seller..

side note, one of the other email addresses he sent the pictures to was "1bad68442" so it might be appealing to a 442 guy who needs front clip stuff..

we'll see what happens..

 

one mans junk...yano?
.....id say just the roof with glass ...to the right guy is worth over a G note !!!!

if the tailgates good...another 5oo?or so

thats a freekin beauty of a parts car

 

The problem with the concrete floor and all the gaps in the walls of that barn is it invites dampness.
Concrete cannot absorb moisture like a dirt floor.
Concrete can weep moisture and the car soaks it up like a sponge.I had seen cars pulled out of old rotten barns and garages where the undercarriages were rotten form condensation.Especailly when there is a sudden change in temperatures from night to day,or from freeze to thaw.
Just my observation,anyways.
When I store a car in an unheated damp garage,I park it on a cheap blue tarp to keep the moisture down away from the the undercarriage.
Also run a fan in the garage to keep the air moving.That will save the trim from pitting and keep the dampness down..