Thanks to all of those on the Virtual Vairs list who advised me with pre-purchase inspection tips. I tried to remember as many as I could this morning when I checked out a convertible that I am considering buying. Let me tell you what I found.

The car is an Evening Orchid '65 Monza convertible with a 110 hp. motor and Powerglide. It has a manual white top and black interior. It has approximately 80,000 miles showing on the odometer and has been the subject of an amateur restoration.

I'll start with the critical area first. This car appears to be pretty much rust free and solid in all areas, with a significant exception.

The rocker panels on both sides of the car show significant rust problems and rust throughs. Interestingly, the floorpan appears for the most part to be solid, as do the corners in the trunk (we pulled one of the close-out panels and looked).

Here's a picture of the driver's side rocker panel, looking forward:

From what I have gathered from VV, this would appear to be a result of poor drainage in the rockers and the resulting accumulation of dirt and moisture in this area. The passenger side door seemed a little tight at the top, but this did not appear to be the case with the driver's door.

In other areas, the bottoms of the quarterpanels and fender openings seem fairly solid, as do the various door pinchwelds. Typical surface rust could be found under the rubber mat in the trunk, but the floor of the trunk was very solid.

The paint was not as nice as that on my '65 Corsa, but I thought it was respectable.

The interior was very nice. There were no obvious flaws and I think with a bit of cleaning it would be just fine. Here are a couple of shots:

The top was down when we found the car. It was not easy to put up, but then it was also 14 deg. F. I would think that it would work better on a warm day. We were able to get the top to latch with a little effort. It had a pinhole near the front on the driver's side and the windlace seemed a bit rough on the sides over the front windows. Otherwise, the top seemed serviceable, as did the rear window.

The paint on the top frame looked good, and the hold down latches were in good condition. The car has a black boot. It was not snapped in place, but did not have any obvious flaws.

Here is a picture of the motor, not the best shot:

There were no puddles under the car. The motor has a set of Otto Parts valve covers. It turned over without difficulty. We attempted to start it without success. We shot some WD40 in the carbs and turned the motor over for awhile with the coil disconnected. We pumped the accelerator, but saw no fuel squirting out. The car did fire and run briefly on starter fluid, but given the age of the fuel in the tank and the likelihood that the carbs need to be cleaned and the accelerator pumps replaced, we elected not to press our luck.

For anyone with interest, here is a picture of the body tag:

SO...

The seller is asking $4,000 for this car. I think I could have it for $3,500. My questions to the list are as follows:

1) What is involved in replacing the rocker panels and what can I expect in cost? Is it a good idea to get into a project of rocker replacement or, if you were in my shoes, would you keep looking?

2) Assuming that I could have this car for $3,500, is this price reasonable?

Thanks for your advice, as always.