1970 barracuda buying advice

Hi guys I am new to this form and need some help with my first mopar buying decision. I have been looking for 70 and 71 barracudas now for quite some time and I have narrowed it down possibly to the one shown in the link below. Part of the reason that it interests me is that it appears to have the unique N27 code 383 with a four barrel. I am buying this 60% for personal enjoyment but 40% for investment reasons. Can anyone steer me the right way for this major decision? Thanks for your help! Below is the link:
https://www.grautogallery.com/vehicles/6645/1970-plymouth-barracuda

Well, it started out scarce.

Then some one customized it.

The VIN tag rivets were drilled out & the tag damaged in the process.

Fun to drive perhaps, but investment car? Not so much.

Welcome to the board, lots of good people here.
1st thing you'll want to bone up on is what we call "fender tags".
This car started life as dark green with green interior (see 2nd row from bottom)
N in VIN and E63 on tag (bottom left) is 383 4bbl.
As an investment, color-changes are generally regarded as a demerit, though there are also folks who don't mind and some who dislike green.
Non-original modifications are also widely considered non-optimal, though the auction market right now likes restomods.
Gran Coupe convertibles are pretty rare, as are 4-speeds.
To me, quality and condition are more important than bolt-on stuff like the headers & ignition, which are fairly easily "corrected" if you want.
The trans has been swapped, Shaker installed. #s matching & restored-to-tag is a big deal at the sharp end of the market.
Ultimately, you have to decide for yourself what you want in a car at a price where you won't get hurt down the road.
If you really like the car as it is, and it checks out, there's value in just being happy.
Being that the car is at a dealership, the actual owner likely values the car at 10-20% less than $69,900.

Does it come with any of the original parts? For example, the original 4-speed trans, the radio, or any other parts that are currently non-factory?

Jim

Great advice and reveal guys!! THANK YOU! I still may go for it, given that my wife has vetoed purple or violet and will have to get it painted blue anyway :-) what I really like is a unique engine code!

Keep in mind when you take that car apart to change the color to blue you may find some demons and open a huge can of worms.
Also to have a pro shop take that apart and do a color change is not cheap and you’re already into it for $69k!
My biggest advice would be look it over with a fine tooth comb, drive it and if you’re still not sure pay an expert to evaluate it for you-you’ll be money ahead trust me.

The car is scarce, but the engine code is not unique.

It started out as a fairly scarce car with the engine & 4-speed combination.

But now, it is just another customized car.

Customs are fine, but choosing a scarce car to modify is just sad.

Don't fool yourself. Either buy a car to enjoy and then you can pick color and trim and drivetrain. Or hire an experienced Mopar guy to guide you to an investment. True investments will not be drivers and will not usually come with a 383. But as with anything Mopar, never say never. You are tying to jump into the 'deep end of the pool' here. And many sellers will see it right off. You will not be able to hide the inexperience.

The only advice I have is to be very, very careful, hire a professional, and take the emotions/preferences out of the decision if the investment part is a priority.

Agree with the above, plus:
If you're thinking about buying that car and then blowing it apart (or paying for it) and then repainting it, that's not a good investment.
You'd be getting into Hemi clone territory, or at least a legitimate #s car with a correct restoration.
B5 Barracudas aren't that rare, nor are 383 cars.
Check the E-body section here, and look around.

Here is my
I agree with some of the comments above. That car was a Green on green car modified to resale color combination. I didn't decode rest of tag to determine if other options are legit, but as mentioned a lot of that is bolt on so no big deal.
But, if you want blue and black then keep looking. I would think a legitimate shop, to tear down and respray car properly will be at least, and I am being very light, $10k-$20k. That's a scuff and shoot. Who knows what will get uncovered, what gets lost during the process (you'll be at least a year or two without the car), and what will get broken and need replacing.
You indicate a large portion of your intent on ownership is investment. To me, that says look elsewhere too. You will never get out the original purchase price and reshoot. Also, any serious collector who is looking for investment will probably shy away from a green on green car. Original color combinations rule in investment market. And green,even though loathed by many in the market, still brings good coin for right options and configuration.

But, its your money.

Taking apart (even partially) a "restored" car or a "street" (unrestored) car are two different things. The former WILL require "kids gloves" when doing so (i/e added $$). Then the kids gloves again for reassembly.

Says restored in 2002: so may have been a nice original wrt (rust, repairs, etc). But ANY conv. encountered rust problems unique to them (trunk, well opening, etc.).

Color: Purple has always had a "following" in the mopar field, blue not so much. Regardless of vin, etc. It's a High-Impact color unlike green or blue. Best color wrt resale.

If the car "checks out" OK, leave it as is.
E-Body convertibles will always be in demand.
Always possible to convert even a 6-cyl HT in a Hemi R/T or Hemi-Cuda HT.
But try "making" a convertible from any HT.

Ill be more blunt than the others here and say it would be crazy to buy that and then blow it apart and colour change it again and deal with the can of worms that will ensue.you will be into it at that point for MORE than you can buy a real 70 cuda 4 speed ragtop,which is a rock solid investment.this barracuda is not a good investment,and becomes a loss once you mess with it. jmo

^^^^^^ x 2 ! [unless you like to burn your money].

XXX 3

Prob worth it to research Aloha as well. They were darlings in the magazines for awhile and then they went belly-up. I don't think they were sketchy but maybe didn't handle business well? Surely someone can set the record straight.

Nice car for that price, not a good price if you're going to repaint it..why go to the trouble of that..then wait for a color you like or buy an unfinished one

Run away fast...

Money is made on investments when you buy, this is too high priced

Money is made on investment vehicals when they are stock, and proper color.

Vin tag damaged, bad vin tag it is over. run run run

You want to repaint....run run run, it is not the old days, it will be 20 grand at least, it will have major hidden problems, then the shop will pad hours, cause they are the real deserving investor in their minds, and it will end up at 30k.

Its not a cuda, its not a hemi...you lost 95-99% of investors.

#1 problem its not a Cuda....if you buy it, only way to increase its value, and saleability is a modern hemi, trans, suspension a/c swap, only way that works is if you can do the swap yourself $$$ wise, then it is a great driver... leave it purple. That look with a modern drivetrain will sell, anything else will lose even more money.

Keep repeating, its not a Cuda

Is there really any GOOD INVESTMENT cars out there anymore? I don't think so. I think those days are over.

Agree, unless you fall into something. With the internet and barrett everyone knows a rusty /6 barracuda is worth almost as much as a hemicuda that has never seen rain. It has cuda in the name, I tell them ya, and it tells you its bare bone too, barra. Most investment grade cars were never a POS to start with, most have original paint, or were pretty nice, then restored.

I used to own that particular car and can tell you a lot about it. It was sold new and remained in Texarkana Texas until around the late 1990s. Was sold as a stalled project to Aloha who was going down the road to hemi clone it, which seemed ashame to me given that is was an original big block 4 speed. So, I had another Barracuda convert which I traded them so they could go that direction and took the clone project off the tracks. Kept the original engine and trans, but later added the 5 speed without cutting. The 4 speed should still be with the car. Aloha or the previous owner had already started the color change when I acquired it --- I actually think the green on green is cool and very period but like others here already said ---- didn't want to spend the money to rip the purple off ---- it is a nice paint job but is 20 years old.

By the way, if I would do it all over again, I would have spent the extra money to go back to the original colors and options. E body converts were not in the stratosphere when I bought it and never really thought about it as an investment. It was nicely optioned from the factory --- rallye dash, power top, rack, dual mirrors if I remember correctly. I agree with the others --- keep it stock for investment purposes, do what you will if not.

Here's the way I see it. It's a clone so most interested buyers don't care what the original color combo was. Upon inspection if it's a good build and runs and drives nice and has options that you are happy with including the color it is now than try to make a deal. Keep in mind as mentioned before it is not an investment. Buy the car if you are happy with it and enjoy it as is. If you decide to sell down the road you might not get all of your money back. Consider it part of the cost of having an old car.

Take a little extra time and find "your blue ragtop".
You'll find one. Spend your time driving the car and enjoying it rather than having it torn apart and spending more money.

True: One may surface in 5 days or 5 Years. When you narrow it down to an e-body, then conv., then blue; the odds work against you. Try opting for more then just 1 color; better odds of finding in reasonable time frame. Surely you must favor more then 1 color or combination.