Opel Manta 1974 Advice?

[LuaHip]

Hello Im 19teen years old. My dream car has always been a Manta 1974 or 75' and they are hard cars to find now in days,and If i do find one its expensive,yesterday I found an ad on craigslist for a 1974 opel manta for 1,000...I was so excited and happy to finally have one it the grasp of my hands. Although my mom and brother dont approve,they say Im just going to waste my money and I should find a car that works. But Those cars are classics I really want to fix one up.
I have the money....

what do you think? Is it worth it.....


...The guy says it turns on but the brakes arnt too well and the

 

[OldManDirt]

Make sure it has a good to great body. Find a place that can get you parts and price them. You might change your mind when you see how difficult it is to find parts and how much they cost.

 

[syconoodles]

a 74 manta is a mk1 while a 75 manta is a mk2 (mk1 cavalier style)

but you might have a problem, early -mid mantas are NOT that common and trying to get parts from them is NOT going to be easy, (i used to have 85 manta and trying to get dealership parts only for that car was a nightmare) most of the time gm/opel no longer kept them in stock and i had to get them 2nd hand and i even worked in a motor factors


if you got the money and passion and willing to get some heart break at the same time,, buy it,,

 

[Paul]

Back in the early 80's my wife owned a 75 Manta (Mk1 Cavalier type) with a 1600 engine, after several years and a minor mishap with a cracked cylinder block it was taken off the road for several months for a restoration/repair job. (My wife would not contemplate selling it)
It ended up as a 2.3Lt Manta 400 lookalike with custom built exhaust system and was the best road car I drove until I purchased a Gallardo just 3 years ago.
The only advice I would give is to SERIOUSLY inspect the sills and wheel arches for corrosion as the car is of a monococque construction and relies heavily on these areas for it's ridgidity. The wiring looks like a complete mess but came this way from the factory.
Good luck!