Barn Collapse: 1974 Buick Electra 225
In the summer of my rising college senior year, I didn’t have a job. So my brother-in-law hired me to help clean up a barn. His father had bought some millwork and other interesting interior features from a historic home that had been demolished that he planned to put in an old home of his. He stored it in his barn and the roof developed a leak. We worked for a couple of weeks getting that barn cleaned and had to throw a lot of nice things away that had been damaged. That is pretty much what has happened here, but far worse than what I encountered. In this collapsed garage is a 1974 Buick Electra 225 2 door hardtop for sale here on Craigslist in Simpsonville, South Carolina.
This is really a case of a car being listed before it really should have. As you’ve heard the saying, that guy’s got bigger fish to fry. Well, maybe the guy is looking for someone to clean up this mess because he says you remove from the garage. He might have to give it to me before I would do that. He would like to have it removed by mid-January, or sooner if possible.
The garage roof slowly rotted away and the trusses eased down to rest on the roof of the car. The seller sees no damage to the car. The Buick has been in the garage for about 30 years. As we often hear, it was running when parked in the garage (actually he says the engine was skipping, so it wasn’t running well).
This Electra 225 has a 455 cubic inch 4 barrel engine, Turbo Hydra-Matic 400 transmission, and Buick road wheels, and the seller says “body perfect”. This car was bought brand new by the seller’s father. No word of how many miles are on the car, and as you can tell, no really good pictures of the car, its interior or engine. It’s a shame too because this is one of my favorite Buicks of the seventies. The seller is asking $2,500 or will consider any reasonable offer. Do you consider this a premature listing? So who’s up for a little work to get a Buick? Make sure your tetanus shot is up to date before going.
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Comments
Probably a sharp ride when put away. Now Mister Too-Important wants you to clean up his mess and pay him for the privilege.
Here’s a reasonable offer – Seller can PAY ME $2500 to haul the thing away after digging it out. This rates as the ultimate CL adds of all time.
This guy must be way out there. Obviously this guy didn’t want to take the effort to dig it out & clean the debris off of it before taking the photos. There’s no telling what kind of condition the car is actually in,or for that matter,if it actually runs and drives?
At least it doesn’t look staged like many ‘barn finds’. Removal of the debris may damage the car even more. It might, depending on the location, require a demolition permit as well.
Elrod, I totally agree with your offer…
Save everybody the angst of unloading all the lumber and nails and drop a match. Poof, all gone.
Best case, it could look like this.
I’d pass.
Maybe without the two tone paint job like the one above
This deuce and a quarter was a beauty back in the day, this reminds me of the new Mayhem garage commercial. Only this is not funny. I did get a laugh out of the body perfect remark.
“Trusses eased down…”
If only we could dry out the ad, I could put some fine, organic fertilizer across my lawn.
“Was running when parked, but was skipping.” Well, knowing that, I’m out!
And, as one of my neighbors used to say…”Yes, and people in hell want ice water, too.” lol
50 years ago, I helped recover a 1940 Buick Special coupe which was buried indoors under a pile of lumber. We tunneled in enough to reach the open driver’s door and the battery. I was elected as pilot. I started the Buick and slowly backed into the alley with the lumber falling off.
The pick of the car was $20. I didn’t own it but did drive it for several weeks.
Common guys, put some lipstick on that ……..and ask her out…….whats the worst that can happen…..financial disaster? Trust me , she’s not a cheap date!!!
Nice car in it’s day. Probably has a bad head gasket, but sitting all that time like that has done untold damage. Who knows if it even had anti-freeze in it. How do you have an undamaged car with a building sitting on it?
Ok bro put the blunt down before you advertise on craigslist. No damage clean car ( 30 years ago) now scrap or parts most likely. I know I have an old dog turd out in the yard, wounder if anybody would give 2500 for it?
That should buff right out.
I sold a girl I dated a cool ‘85 Saab 900. For whatever reason she was convinced, oddly for her, that an early ‘90s Corolla was a better car for her at the time. She parked the running Saab in the garage behind her apartment for a few years. The roof leaked and ruined that poor car. If it wasn’t moldy it was rusted solid. Just nasty.
The 90’s Corrola is probably still going strong!
This is the laziest seller I have seen on here yet. $2,500 and the buyer has to dig it out? How about the seller pays ME the $2,500 to dig it out and haul it off?! Engine skipping? Timing issue or dead cylinder(s)? This is probably a parts car at best.
Those early 455’s had nylon timing gears that tended to break up with relatively low mileage
My dad’s a TV repair man….we can fix that !
I’m still thinking on this one… however I sense most of you here tonight will bid this up at the last minutes, and blast me out of the barn before it’s all over…