I had one that looked like this...





...before I had all insignia, fake hood scoops removed, welded over and repainted.


1970 SS396 L-78 (402ci) Nova

• Special purpose suspension package. Very stiff, you could feel a nickel if you drove over it on an otherwise flat surface.
• Variable ratio power steering an a 12-inch steering wheel with thick foam. The more the steering wheel was turned, the more the front wheels moved. Very sensitive.
• Stock Hurst Competition Plus Shifter.
• Rejetted the carburetor with stingy primaries and gaping holes for secondaries
• Wide ratio 4-speed with 3:55 limited slip rear axle. The first three gears gave the same overall mechanical advantage as a close ratio transmission with a 4:11 rear axle. 4th gear function as an "overdrive" capable of delivering 15 miles per gallon if I could stay away from the secondary jets kicking in. Then mileage would drop to 7-10 mpg.
• Solid lifters adjusted biweekly, 4-bolt main bearings, 11:1 pistons, instant engine stop when keyed to 'off'.
• Lost the air injection "smog control" stuff somewhere .
• Very strong running engine, still wanted more at 7000 rpm but I never ran it over that. At 7000 rpm 1st gear was 70 MPH and 4th gear was a strong 140 mph.

The exhaust pipes emptied into the wheel wells so no visual cues to what was a nearly perfect "sleeper." Just slotted Chromed steel wheels with suspiciously wide tires. It looked like 6-cylinder Nova dressed up in wannabe tires.

$3500 out the door.

A ton of fun to drive. Rated horsepower was 375 at some ridiculously underrated rpm. The stock L-78 dyno tested at 425 bhp at 5800 rpm. Torque was well over 400 lb/ft at about 3800 rpm, I'm pretty sure my set up was higher than those.


I didn't have a S&W Model 66 snubby at the time.

__________________
Bob

So many small shops have gone out of business, I don't begrudge a shop owner making a profit. But I also do not appreciate being low balled when selling or trading. So, I never sell a gun, I keep them all! Sleep well too.

__________________
Bob P.

I have a 2.5” 66 that I bought 4-5 years ago. I wasn’t in the market for one but it was priced less than $500 because the rear sight blade was broken off. I think I talked them down a little bit more, then paid $20 for a new sight blade.

I think I’ve only fired it once. I may need to put it on the market and see what I can get.

__________________
NRA Endowment Member

You didn't offer $700. You offered $646. Whether you like paying that sales tax or not is immaterial. The tax is going to get paid.

"What he had in it" is also immaterial. The gun is worth what it's worth and it will bring what it will bring. A seller is stupid to leave unnecessary money on the table. So what if the guy only had $100 in it. A fella has to hit a home run once in a while. The next gun he sells he may only break even. At the end of the year, it all evens out but you've got to hit a few out of the park to make it work.

You are correct in your first sentence, however, as a buyer, I am very stupid if I put more money on the table then is necessary.

What determines the value on any USED item, is what the BUYER is willing to pay!

Nothing more and nothing less.

But back to the seller's perspective, YOU are not the only buyer. If you're not willing to pay the price, somebody else will . . . assuming the price is realistic, of course.

As a seller, I've dealt with a lot of tire kickers who think they're the only guy out there buying guns. Frankly, the haggling game has gotten so tiresome for me. As a BUYER, I adopt the attitude that if I want the gun and the gun is worth the price, I pay it. In the end, it's more important to me to have the gun than an extra $30 in my pocket. Having been a small businessman, I understand what these guys are up against. I'm more than willing to help them survive so long as the price is fair and it's an item I want.

I suspect in most of these cases, the guy on the buyer side of the counter can better afford the difference than the guy on the seller side. I can't tell you how many times I've negotiated over $20 with a guy who pulls up in a vehicle that I could never afford. People always want to beat you up on the price and couldn't care less whether you make a living. I get that haggling is just a game but sometimes it's not a very fun game.

Haggle all you wish. I certainly do when the climate is right to do so. But, do not complain when a deal is not struck to your satisfaction.
The element of 'desire' enters here. How strongly does one wish to possess, and how strongly does one wish to dispose of something. Where the lines intersect, the deal is made.
Kinda funny, one gun show I attend a seller has had an Argentine 1911 in his case for at least ten years running. It has always been priced beyond the high end of the market price and is non-negotiable. Had I coughed up the price ten years ago, it would have been a real bargain compared to the price it sits at today (at the same show, with the same seller). Further, I would have been enjoying it for the last decade as well. I did not have the desire to pay that much, and he had no desire to visit my spending threshold. I think he enjoys owning it.

Yes we have! Thanks to all the responses, I now know exactly what to do, and not do when buying a gun.

__________________
RIP Shipmate