Everyone has heard of TMI, Too Much Information. When it comes to cars-for-sale posts on Craigslist, the opposite is often the case. The seller says the body of this ’54 Chevy is in good condition. Interested parties will have to go look for themselves. You sure can’t verify that by looking at the pictures. You can barely verify that the car exists. The good news is the car is located in the sunny Tampa, Florida area, so a trip to view the car could double as a vacation. This 1954 Chevrolet Bel Air convertible is listed here on Craigslist for $18,000 or best offer.

I can understand not moving the car out of the garage. It’s not a roller. But leaving a sheet of plywood leaned against it and cardboard piled on top. Come on. That makes me wonder if it was a spur of the moment decision to take pictures and post the ad. Nevertheless, for those interested in such a project, it is worthy of further investigation. The seller states that he started the restoration 25 years ago. A word to the wise: after taking a car apart, you are not halfway done with the restoration. You’ve just started. It is very easy to become overwhelmed if not equipped with the skills, time, and resources to complete the project. 

For those interested in a stock 1954 Chevrolet convertible, this project seems impractical to me. A restored one could be bought for less than the cost to build this one. Even if you got this car for free, the cost of restoring it could still exceed to cost of buying one already done. I see this as a street machine project. It could be built as a nice street machine for around the cost of a restoration and would probably be worth more in the end. The price of $18,000 is pretty lofty in my opinion. It isn’t a Tri-Five. I’d be surprised if the seller gets anywhere near that. But you know what they say, you can’t go up but you can always come down. What do the readers think?