I need to pick your expert brains on this subject. I'm debating between buying a 68 4spd manual GT350 or a 69 automatic GT500. Both are near concours quality. All features being equal between them, except for the trans and putting aside the fun factor for driving, what are your thoughts on just the future investment value differences? thanks!
Two significantly different animals. Best solution would to buy them both. Then you can have different ways on different days.
What's the cost difference between the two? Generally speaking I think the 69 may be the better investment but I buy them for fun and that being said I would take the 4 speed if it were me.
Thanks. The 68 GT350 is ~$5k more than the 69 GT500 automatic.
I don't know if this is an option for you, what about buying the 69 & using the 5K towards putting a 4 speed in it!
Or a 5 speed.....
Easy to convert back to auto if needed
Interesting idea, but wouldn't make huge changes to either as the drivetrains are original. I think the further you get away from stock, the value decreases............. but yeah stick is more fun.
I prefer the 69 to 68 but that's just personal taste. Putting taste aside, the 69 GT500 is a factory high-performance R code mustang and the 68 J code is just not a performance car in comparison.
Quote from: 427hunter on December 06, 2022, 07:33:30 PM
I prefer the 69 to 68 but that's just personal taste. Putting taste aside, the 69 GT500 is a factory high-performance R code mustang and the 68 J code is just not a performance car in comparison.
I use the term SLUG on the performance of the 68 GT350. I had one(4 speed) and even did a cam change that all it did was make the car sound better but I assume it ran better than a stock one as no smog heads and a 66 390 Holley on it. I sold it after buying a 69 SCJ Mach1. Wife said add the mach1 get rid of one of the others(code for it would be the 68 as the 70 GT350 vert was going nowhere). I'd buy the 69 and add a 4 speed with the savings.
As said by all above, they are two very different cars.
Is your decision to be based on: personal enjoyment factor, aesthetics, investment potential? Answer those questions, and you should have your answer where you want to put your money.
Will defer to wiser souls here, but from a pure investment perspective a big block should win out when comparing these two years head to head nearly always.
buy the 69 big block, get a performance valve body for the C6 transmission
you will never look back, never miss a shift....68 small block please....LMAO
this is coming from a guy who currently has two early big block cars both with top loaders and two stick late model cars
Quote from: FL SAAC on December 07, 2022, 10:12:45 AM
buy the 69 big block, get a performance valve body for the C6 transmission
you will never look back, never miss a shift....68 small block please....LMAO
this is coming from a guy who currently has two early big block cars both with top loaders and two stick late model cars
Its not about missing shifts Tony its the enjoyment of shifting a manual gearbox. Autos are boring. Quick question: How much more is a ZR-1 2019 Corvette worth with a manual VS an auto everything else being equal. Why is that? BTW I don't miss shifts. ;D
Quote from: shelbymann1970 on December 07, 2022, 11:20:00 AM
Quote from: FL SAAC on December 07, 2022, 10:12:45 AM
buy the 69 big block, get a performance valve body for the C6 transmission
you will never look back, never miss a shift....68 small block please....LMAO
this is coming from a guy who currently has two early big block cars both with top loaders and two stick late model cars
Its not about missing shifts Tony its the enjoyment of shifting a manual gearbox. Autos are boring. Quick question: How much more is a ZR-1 2019 Corvette worth with a manual VS an auto everything else being equal. Why is that? BTW I don't miss shifts. ;D
Check out the price gap between a 355 Ferrari stick vs F1 trans.
Following along, but he has not answered the one question of how much will he be driving, and where. If he is only planning on highway, or back roads, the 4-speed. But any slow driving, parades, etc, auto. The factory clutch linkage is a BEAR!!!
or, get the 4-speed, convert to hydraulic clutch!
Quote from: rdmgt350 on December 06, 2022, 08:46:42 AM
I need to pick your expert brains on this subject. I'm debating between buying a 68 4spd manual GT350 or a 69 automatic GT500. Both are near concours quality. All features being equal between them, except for the trans and putting aside the fun factor for driving, what are your thoughts on just the future investment value differences? thanks!
buy what you can afford and what you will enjoy
The End
Quote from: Cobrask8 on December 07, 2022, 12:30:24 PM
Following along, but he has not answered the one question of how much will he be driving, and where. If he is only planning on highway, or back roads, the 4-speed. But any slow driving, parades, etc, auto. The factory clutch linkage is a BEAR!!!
or, get the 4-speed, convert to hydraulic clutch!
Putting usage/fun factors aside, I was mostly looking for opinions on the investment value difference.........
Quote from: rdmgt350 on December 07, 2022, 02:38:59 PM
Quote from: Cobrask8 on December 07, 2022, 12:30:24 PM
Following along, but he has not answered the one question of how much will he be driving, and where. If he is only planning on highway, or back roads, the 4-speed. But any slow driving, parades, etc, auto. The factory clutch linkage is a BEAR!!!
or, get the 4-speed, convert to hydraulic clutch!
Putting usage/fun factors aside, I was mostly looking for opinions on the investment value difference.........
since you are talking investment then what are the colors of the 2 cars? What are they missing? Both were smog equipped cars. To me colors have a bearing on price. original drive trains?
Quote from: rdmgt350 on December 07, 2022, 02:38:59 PM
Quote from: Cobrask8 on December 07, 2022, 12:30:24 PM
Following along, but he has not answered the one question of how much will he be driving, and where. If he is only planning on highway, or back roads, the 4-speed. But any slow driving, parades, etc, auto. The factory clutch linkage is a BEAR!!!
or, get the 4-speed, convert to hydraulic clutch!
Putting usage/fun factors aside, I was mostly looking for opinions on the investment value difference.........
Then we would need to know colors and condition. Post some photos of the cars, engine compartments, interior, and undercarriage.
Assume both are feature equivalent and concours quality with the only difference being the 68 GT350 is 4 speed and 69 GT500 is auto..........
For investment, supply and demand must be considered. They are two completely different cars pretty much. Supply is known. Demand must consider a cruiser vs. a torque beast, auto vs. manual, 68 vs 69. I think it's a good guess lol
Quote from: rdmgt350 on December 07, 2022, 03:59:46 PM
Assume both are feature equivalent and concours quality with the only difference being the 68 GT350 is 4 speed and 69 GT500 is auto..........
It does not work that way, what you call concourse may not be. No two things are equal so either post photos and get a real opinion or play "Eeny, meeny, miny, moe" the choice is yours.
For example, a plain red or white, or that pea green 1968 will be a flop, boring, snoozer, but a Saturn Yellow 1969 will be a WOW!!!
Conversely, and dark maroon 1969 is just dreadful, but a special paint 1968, or Acapulco blue will get eyeballs.
Interiors?
Quote from: Cobrask8 on December 08, 2022, 11:41:50 AM
For example, a plain red or white, or that pea green 1968 will be a flop, boring, snoozer, but a Saturn Yellow 1969 will be a WOW!!!
Conversely, and dark maroon 1969 is just dreadful, but a special paint 1968, or Acapulco blue will get eyeballs.
Interiors?
Come on Dan, they don't get sharper than black with red on a 68(OK not factory). To think I sold it after buying your old car but I wanted power over looks.. Well to me a 69 Mach1 is right up there.
Quote from: Cobrask8 on December 08, 2022, 11:41:50 AM
For example, a plain red or white, or that pea green 1968 will be a flop, boring, snoozer, but a Saturn Yellow 1969 will be a WOW!!!
Conversely, and dark maroon 1969 is just dreadful, but a special paint 1968, or Acapulco blue will get eyeballs.
Interiors?
+ 1
Come on Dan, they don't get sharper than black with red on a 68(OK not factory). To think I sold it after buying your old car but I wanted power over looks.. Well to me a 69 Mach1 is right up there.
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Exactly Gary, It is sharp! Many have changed color to make it better for them.
I painted my 68 from Maroon to Acapulco Blue. I know one very famous 1969 GT-500 that went from Grabber Green to Grabber Blue.
Quote from: Cobrask8 on December 08, 2022, 12:14:27 PM
Come on Dan, they don't get sharper than black with red on a 68(OK not factory). To think I sold it after buying your old car but I wanted power over looks.. Well to me a 69 Mach1 is right up there.
Exactly Gary, It is sharp! Many have changed color to make it better for them.
I painted my 68 from Maroon to Acapulco Blue. I know one very famous 1969 GT-500 that went from Grabber Green to Grabber Blue.
[/quote]Wow, Grabber Green is one of my favorite colors. I'm a blue paint kind of guy but am I the only one who doesn't like Grabber Blue. The car below was a grabber blue drag pack car. I painted it RED as you can see. In the pic is a rough grabber blue 70 GT500 and a Grabber orange rare drag pack 4 speed 4.30 geared car. Can't you tell? ;D
I expect to lose money on my 69 Shelby convertible when I sell it in 15 years or so. By then, there will be far fewer people still alive, and healthy enough, that will appreciate these cars enough to pony up significant money for one. Personally, I won't mind if I sell my Shelby for less than I paid for it because I will have enjoyed it for 25+ years.
Putting usage/fun factors aside, I was mostly looking for opinions on the investment value difference.........
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If you are into investments, don't buy collector cars. The future is not easy to predict - despite what you might believe. If you buy a collector car, it should be to enjoy. If it happens to be worth more than you paid for it sometime in the future that's great, but likely it will just keep pace with inflation.
+1 with Royce.
If you buy an expensive and collector-worthy painting or sculpture, you can keep it 50 years and it won't have deteriorated much, if at all. Try that with a car, and you'll learn why it takes constant maintenance to keep a collectible car collectible.
Aside from the 0.0000000000000001% of all cars ever made that do command increasingly big bucks at places like Pebble Beach, cars in general do not make great investments.
Buy what you love. If you make $$ (or just break even) at the end of it all, so much the better. The experience itself is worth $$$$. And the real joy exists when you start the engine.