Pantera Owners Club of America

As with any other car or major purchase, it is best to get as much good information as you can to help you find the right car for you, to buy it at a good price, and to avoid getting a lemon. The information in this article should help guide you on your journey.  

Most importantly, you should meet current Pantera owners. We are a tight knit community that supports one another. Don't be shy about asking for help. We have an active e-mail list that you can subscribe to and ask questions.  We also have a new web forum.

Check the list of POCA chapters. Contact your local chapter to let them know that you are looking for a Pantera. Most chapters have a monthly get together where you can see various models up close. Your local chapter will also have a list of events where you can see more Panteras and meet more owners. When you do find a car that you are interested in buying, we should be able to provide you with some information on the history of the car and have someone inspect the car with you or for you.

Is a Pantera Right for You?

Before you get too far down the road, you should decide if a Pantera is right for you. If you are looking for a sports car that you can just drive with occasional stops for gas, a Pantera might not be right for you. Panteras are exotic cars. Most of them are over 30 years old. Most are well maintained, but even a "no-issues" car requires some maintenance beyond what you would expect with a modern Corvette or Viper.

If you have experience with owning older cars from the muscle car generation, exotic cars, or other limited production cars, a Pantera should be well at home in your garage.

Where to Look

Panteras and other De Tomaso cars usually are not found in the places where you might find a late model car. However, there are several sites commonly used:

POCA Mart: Classified ads in the POCA Newsletter

ProvoMo: www.provamo.com/Members/DeTomaso4Sale/DeTomasoForSale.asp

Pantera International: www.panteracars.com/carpage.html

eBay Motors: www.motors.ebay.com

Hemmings: www.hemmings.com/classifieds

Of course, this is only a short list of the many places where you can find Panteras.

Pantera parts and service vendors often have some cars for sale. Contact the vendors directly to see what they have.

Any dealer specializing in exotic cars may have Panteras, though availability is usually spotty at best.

When You Find a Car

When you find a Pantera that appears to meet your needs, you should arrange to see that car and take it for a test drive. If the car is too far away for you to visit, contact the POCA chapter in that area to see if someone can take a look at it for you or at least give you some of the local history of that car.

Also check the registries to get the car's history. Not all cars are in a registry, but some good information may be there for you. There is no official Pantera registry (yet), but there are two non-POCA registries that are commonly used. One is the registry put together by Bill VanEss. It is available only in hardcopy and is out of print, though there are many copies floating around that you can look at. A newer registry is on-line at www.provamo.com, though it does require registration to access it.

Do not bother with Carfax or other car reporting companies. Panteras are too old to be in their databases.

What to Look For During an Inspection

The things you should inspect when buying a Pantera are the same as with another other used car: overall condition, rust, signs of accidents, etc. You should start the car, push every button, and pull every lever.

In addition to the typical items, there are some Pantera-specific items to look for. There is a collection of lists written by various people in the Pantera community at www.banzairunnerpantera.com/how_to_buy.htm

What to Pay

Pantera prices range from about $25,000 to $60,000 or so for most of the road-worthy Panteras from the Ford years (1971-74).

There have been some Panteras that have advertised for more than that, and some that have even sold for more than that.  However, those are either pristine originals or high-modified cars.  Some have sold below $25,000, but those are rust-bucket project cars.  Some nice cars show up on eBay with a Buy Now for under $10,000.  Those are fraudulent. 

The Panteras from after the Ford years can fetch higher prices.  The factory-built Pantera race cars with race histories fetch much higher prices.

Panteras are bought to be driven.  Though there are some concours-level, collectible originals, most Panteras have been modified.  "Numbers-matching" is not important to Pantera owners, so that does not affect the price much.

The modifications that tend to increase the price of a Pantera are the engine upgrades, new interior and paint, and new wheels and brakes.  A tastefully-done engine bay that shows well can push up the price significantly.