Ah Bruce, this is a "meaning of life" question. 57's and most 50's are pretty scarce. They are around but you certainly don't see them everyday. I've owned mine for 5 years and don't think I've SEEN another 57 in person. Seen several 59's and a 58. The hemi's popularity is the cause for the rarity of most 50's mopars. 59's and 60's with their 413 seemed to survive more. Did you overpay? Who knows. Sometimes you fall into a deal and sometimes you don't but to find a non rusty 50's Imp with good chrome and stainless for less than 5 grand is a VERY GOOD DEAL. My 54 has no rust, wonderful chrome and trim but the interior shows wear, carpet is shot, seats have some tears. And the paint is thin, a 10 footer other than the chrome. I paid more than 5 grand and think I got a good deal even though I had to do some pretty extensive brake work and lots of TLC time. However, bigger question you raise is how nice a car to buy and what to plan on doing to it. Imho, with the exception of the nice original cars and to a certain degree even them, I plan on doing EVERYTHING. For me this means stripping the body, fixing rust, paint, brakes, replacing all the accessories on the engine (water pump, alt, starter, etc), checking/replacing the alternator, AC, etc). If you are lucky, your car won't need much chrome work but unfortunately with the massive amounts of chrome on these cars it can be pretty expensive to have it all done. Stainless can be repaired with some simple tools and LOTS of patience. Cast parts need professional attention which means $. Authentic interior fabrics are expensive and you have to deal with people who are slow. Having the actual upholstry sewn is not expensive. Headliners are cheap unless your fabric is unobtainium or something. The major cost (again imho) is all the tlc required on the older cars. If you do the work yourself you can save mega bucks. Paying a shop to fix window motors, etc, can run the cost up very quickly. So here is the $64,000.00 question. How much will it cost and how much will it be worth. It will cost as much as you are willing to spend on it. Some people go through their lives looking for and obtaining the NOS mirror or such that is better than the one they have with a bubble in the silver. Others are happy to have a presentable, safe, and most importantly, reliable car. Whatever cranks your tractor. After you've mortgaged your first born you may realize you have spent more than the price guide says your car is worth. Most people who expect to restore cars and make a profit on them get a reality check pretty quick. I couldn't sell any of my cars for what I have in them even if I only count my labor at minimum wage. I think you have to be happy with the car and want to be a long term owner to justify the expense. And at the end of the day, if you spent 20K to make a 5 footer it's still less than a Hong Kong Fooey. There isn't a single correct answer. This hobby is all about dreams. Kerryp --- Bruce Stubblefield <audiblefeast@xxxxxxxxx> wrote: > Hello Listees > My '57 4-door sedan (w/post) has much more body > and chrome work to make it gorgeous than I had > imagined when I bought it on ebay based upon > pictures > (you think that's bad? I just bought Brad Mariner's > '69 also sight unseen. I couldn't stop myself.) > Now that I see the massive work required to get > it better than a "10 foot" car, I'm considering > cutting my losses and starting over with an Imperial > that has less rust, pitting, missing pieces, etc. > My question is, just how scarce is this car? In > other words, am I likely to ever come across another > '57 but with no rust and unpitted chrome for less > than > the $5000 I paid for this one? (Other details about > my car: seats excellent, but dashpad, carpets, > power > everything all need replacing or complete rebuild, > including A/C) > I haven't seen more than a couple since I bought > this one, yet it was the biggest production year of > the Imp. > When I bought this car I knew I wanted an > Imperial, but had no idea how much these cars have > in > common with both heroin and Frank Lloyd Wright > architecture. > > Thanks > Bruce S > '57 sedan > '69 Le Baron coupe > '67 Dodge Coronet 4 door > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Yahoo! Sports - sign up for Fantasy Baseball > http://sports.yahoo.com > >