<VV> $185,000 Stinger for sale (personal knowledge)

[Taruffi57 at aol.com]

Well, if this is in fact, the same car the Allen Bristow bought (I  
believe) from a guy named LaPorte down around the Melbourne, Fl. area, I  would say 
2 things.  (a) that I made a very bad decision the  day I drove the car in 
Feb. '05 and could have bought it for $22,000 with  the orig, 140 (sitting 
on the garage floor) - and 
(b).  Mr. Bristow's idea of what it is worth presently, is  ...well,  let 
me think of an appropriate word.  
Shocking, is probably not a proper descriptive.
 
The reason I didn't buy the car....it had slant intake triple choke Webers  
on a non-original 140 at the time, were the following:
 
My wife would have made it difficult for me when I got home. (No. 1  reason 
-- by far)
The car had obvious filler lumpiness at the usual bottom corners of the  
front windshield.
I believe I saw other small evidences of filler or rust underneath the  
paint.
Drivers seat was sagging a lot under my weight.  I thought that a car  
showing so little miles just couldn't possibly have such a worn  seat.
Paint (for the most part) may have been original, but the car definitely  
needed a re-paint.
It had some big shiny chrome rims on it wrong wood steering wheel and some  
gauges in the center of the dash that may have been orig. Stinger  issue, 
but I thought were add-on's.
I figured it may have been worth a max. of say $35K with everything nice  
and done, but $22K + paint, etc. would have had me at $30K or more into  it.  
(condition of the orig. 140 was unknown)
I do remember that it sure did run strongly on the  Webers though.
 
I was ready to buy it and could have written the check, but left there with 
 only a good set of IECO headers - which are now on my '69 coupe.
 
I guess you could add this one to many others I have run across over the  
yrs.  Like the white w/gold '61 Chrysler 300 coupe in solid condition  that I 
found way down south of Tallahassee in the forest that I could have  bought 
for $17K.  I drove that one, and even as big & heavy as it was,  it got 
down the road pretty well.  I still have pics of it on my hard  drive.  And 
then there was the red Ferrari 246 Dino coupe I drove in  downtown Orlando.  
Nice condition and a sweet driving sports car  for $22K.  I had the Pantera at 
the time and probably decided the Dino  was just a little bit too tame for 
me.  Sharp Dino's are at $125 - $175K  right now.   BIG mistake.  I could go 
on and on.........
 
The only saving grace for me in this auto vignette is that David(?) LaPorte 
 is likely the bigger loser in this that I am.  Of course, I don't know 
what  he got for the car.
 
Joe Dunlap
Lady Lake, Fl.