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That 2000 car looks remarkably similar to yours. In fact, the only part of it that looks nicer than yours is the odometer! I know you like them stock, but it looks like the only modifications on that car are the tail pipes (or possibly the muffler too, can't tell in those pics but it does appear someone painted the I-pipe, Y-pipe and cats silver), the various silver overlay decals, and the tinted windows. Also appears that someone painted the rear axle black, that actually looks very nice. It would make a great garage companion for your 2001 car!
One thing I never understand is how these ultra low mile cars end up with new wiper blades. What you see on that car is a modern I-beam style that doesn't even look like the original Bosch metal-framed blades that came stock. With 2k miles, who is driving that car in the rain enough to need new wiper blades?!?! I still have the assembly line original ones on my '98, even at 19k miles, because I've never turned them on. The rubber is still just fine, at least visually (granted, I do give them a 303 treatment every year). I just think it takes something away from the whole time capsule/show car presentation mystique of such an ultra low mile car when I see this. Maybe it's just me.
Oh my. That is a remarkable car indeed! But I don't see how it could only make 325hp with the listed upgrades to that 455ci. A friend's '83 Cutlass has an Olds 455 with similar upgrades, and it had no trouble making 400+hp.
Ah...I think I see the issue. The ad mentions that the car has headers but I don't see any evidence of that. Looks more like stock manifolds. That might be holding back a lot of power.
^^^That's for sure!!! Out of the dozens of cars I have owned I made $$$ on one car only. Totally by accident too as I drive them to enjoy, I made about $2,000 on this SS Aerocoupe, but over the years, when you figure in costs and repairs, insurance, new tires, etc... I made zero, probably lost $$$ overall, and happy to do it.
Do you ever play with the CPI calculator? That 1999 T/A, in inflation adjusted dollars, is $17,899 (1999 dollars). The CPI calculator will also make you angry about your income. I remember when my Dunkin Donut's large coffee was $1.43. I remember it well because it was 2021.
^^^That's for sure!!! Out of the dozens of cars I have owned I made $$$ on one car only. Totally by accident too as I drive them to enjoy, I made about $2,000 on this SS Aerocoupe, but over the years, when you figure in costs and repairs, insurance, new tires, etc... I made zero, probably lost $$$ overall, and happy to do it.
I always loved your Aerocoupe. If I had lived local to you, I would have done my best to peer-pressure you into keeping it and swapping in a PowerCrate 350. Simple swap with a very affordable (especially back then) brand new engine; it would have driven and looked like stock, but with a little lumpier idle and double the power!
Only time I ever made a serious net profit on a car was this junk daily driver that I bought back in the mid-'90s when I needed something quick. I paid $250 for this car because it had a lot of rear-end damage from a previous accident, but was still driveable. It was just supposed to get me through one winter. Well, 15 hours later, some girl ran a stop sign and blasted the car right in the same spot it had been hit before! Car was totaled this time, entirely her fault so her insurance paid, and they gave me a bit over $3,100. Haha, ~1300% profit in 15 hours. And it was pure profit because I didn't own the car long enough to spend any money on even a tank of gas. Lucky I didn't get hurt though, it was a pretty hard hit.
Originally Posted by lees02WS6
Do you ever play with the CPI calculator? That 1999 T/A, in inflation adjusted dollars, is $17,899 (1999 dollars). The CPI calculator will also make you angry about your income. I remember when my Dunkin Donut's large coffee was $1.43. I remember it well because it was 2021.
Inflation was so rapid as of late that these current numbers don't mean much in the context of the semi-recent past. Most "value" jumps on things like this weren't real value at all but just reflective of inflation.
I always loved your Aerocoupe. If I had lived local to you, I would have done my best to peer-pressure you into keeping it and swapping in a PowerCrate 350. Simple swap with a very affordable (especially back then) brand new engine; it would have driven and looked like stock, but with a little lumpier idle and double the power!
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Thank you! You are 100% correct. I think about that quite a bit. A simple engine swap would definitely be in the cards today if I owned it. Unfortunately we get back to that 'space' thing again. No room. What would be the 'odd' car out? I can't imagine being without the T/A. The wife always wants to have a Mustang 'vert around. In fact that will be the car she keeps if I have more heart issues. We have had that discussion. Then we have the R/T which was always my dream car since Vanishing Point was released in 1971. May all life's decisions be so difficult.
Thank you! You are 100% correct. I think about that quite a bit. A simple engine swap would definitely be in the cards today if I owned it. Unfortunately we get back to that 'space' thing again. No room. What would be the 'odd' car out? I can't imagine being without the T/A. The wife always wants to have a Mustang 'vert around. In fact that will be the car she keeps if I have more heart issues. We have had that discussion. Then we have the R/T which was always my dream car since Vanishing Point was released in 1971. May all life's decisions be so difficult.
"May all life's decisions be so difficult."...
Haha, oh yes, this is a concept we often discuss here in our local car show group. We call it, "real problems" (with the obligatory sarcastic tone). I have found myself waste deep in this storage concern problem since buying the '74. All reasonable plans/options for proper storage have fallen through so far, so it's still under a cover. I feel bad about this, but it's still probably living a better life than it would have if I hadn't "rescued" it before seller desperation sent it to an inner city buyer. I'm sure your Aerocoupe went to a good home, but these '73-'77 GM A-body cars (with very few exceptions) just don't appeal to very many collectors so their fate, even for the really nice examples, is precarious every time one changes hands. Even the "non-collectible/garden variety" A/G-bodies from 1978-'88 have found a lot of popularity with the modern swap crowd due to their relative light weight/size, but few folks care to do anything with the immediately prior generation; they are big, heavy, and don't carry the "muscle" image of their '72-and-earlier counterparts.
Most recently, I have considered buying an empty industrial building/warehouse suite for a permanent storage solution, but the taxes in this area are ridiculous so I would need partners (renters) to help cover that cost. Not too many local folks that I would trust to do this with, and it would take quite a few to make the cost reasonable.
^^^ Wouldn't that be something to have your own warehouse or similar. The trouble with that is that you would buy even more cars!!
My Aerocoupe did go to a good home but the type of home where it never sees the daylight. It was put in a collection in PA with about 70 or 80 other cars. The transport carrier that picked up my Aero was also picking up a Cosworth Vega going to the same guy. Amazing stuff going on in a really different financial stratosphere.
^^^ Wouldn't that be something to have your own warehouse or similar. The trouble with that is that you would buy even more cars!!
LOL! Yeah, except that buying the building would pretty much wipe out my "toy" budget for quite some time. I've also considered just expanding my home garage, but there is no practical way to do that without tearing the whole thing down (which is a shame, because the current garage is still in great condition), relocating the pad and then building a bigger unit farther back on the property. Doing that (and doing it how I would want) would be so costly that it got me to thinking about just buying a dedicated building for cars - mostly because spending that type of money on a home garage would never be able to be recovered should I choose to move, but if I buy another building it could always be sold or I could just keep it if I don't move too far. But the tax burden of that option is far worse than just building a bigger garage here at home. In the mean time, I continue to look for local rental options but nothing has panned out yet.
Originally Posted by NC01TA
My Aerocoupe did go to a good home but the type of home where it never sees the daylight. It was put in a collection in PA with about 70 or 80 other cars. The transport carrier that picked up my Aero was also picking up a Cosworth Vega going to the same guy. Amazing stuff going on in a really different financial stratosphere.
That is bordering on Jay Leno type stuff! Those folks live in a different world.
03-04-2024, 09:58 AM
Interesting Firebird Auction Results Raleigh Dec 2023 
I know you like them stock, but it looks like the only modifications on that car are the tail pipes (or possibly the muffler too, can't tell in those pics but it does appear someone painted the I-pipe, Y-pipe and cats silver), the various silver overlay decals, and the tinted windows. Also appears that someone painted the rear axle black, that actually looks very nice. It would make a great garage companion for your 2001 car! 
Lucky I didn't get hurt though, it was a pretty hard hit.