I found a ‘61 Cadilac Ambulance for $4,500. The body looks great but the owner said it “needs work”. How much should I pay for an Ecto? What year was the actual one? Are they hard to maintain? Any advice would be helpful! Thanks!

GB_DAN ;-)

“Smells like BBQ’d Dog Hair!”

the ecto in the movie was a 59 mm Cadilac Ambulance, 4,500.00 is not a bad price for a 61, but u can prob talk him down even more, if the work it needs is a lot. if it runs then hes askin a good price. yes there hard to maintain. it gets costy. also turning it into ecto is not as easy or cheep as a lot of ppl belive.

I bet the wiring job on a car that old will be a pain

Converting a 61 caddy into a modernized ecto has got to be lots of trouble

Not to mention finding parts for a car that old. My friend and I got a ‘68, and we’re having trouble. Most auto parts places don't go back that far in their computer parts reference files. But I do wish you well in your endeaver.

Buy it. Buy an engine from a junkyard. Re-build the engine. Re-furbish everything. Install a turbo, NOS, and lights, go drag racing. LOL, just kiddin. I've always wanted and Ecto myself. Ooo, the possibilities!

Well, the ‘61 has been sold already… That really stinks! BUT… I did find a ’59 that has been completely restored… only problem is the guy is asking $30,000!!!!!!! I couldn't believe it! Well, I'm only 18, so maybe in 10 or 15 years!!!

$30,000.. that would be a steal if you only had to invest another $10,000 - $20,000 in converting it into a 1/1a.

Not to mention it would be worth probably twice that much.

I've seen photos of the car for sale for $30,000 and it still needs a decent amount of work to make it presentable. Its a good 30 foot car, but up close it still needs work. The interior in the rear is gutted and empty. The front compartment has been modified. The Front clip needs alignment. There are some alignment issues elsewhere on the car. The wheels arent correct for an ambulance. It has tunnel lights that wouldnt be correct for an Ecto. And it generally needs some more work done to finish it.

Also, there is such a limited market for these cars even totally restored, you are not going to see values significantly higher than you have to pay for them. You might be able to buy one for less then the guy has into it. But you arent going to be able to turn around and make alot of money on it if you sell it later. You are more than likely going to Lose money on the deal. Restoration is EXPENSIVE.

These cars are NOT good investments. If you want one because of the car itself and your love of the cars, then go for it. If you are looking for it as an investment that will grow in value over time. Save your money. Its probably not going to happen. This is the second restored coach that I've found for sale. And neither one is selling very quick. Old Ambulances have a REALLY limited market. And there just arent alot of people willing to pay big $$'s for them. (And $30K and up is Big dollars for an old Ambulance)

And if you convert any '59 into an Ecto, your potential market for buyers gets even SMALLER. (The Resto guys wont touch an Ecto, and there are more of them out there in the buyers pool) I could put my Ecto up for Sale tomorrow if I wanted, and I would wait MONTHS or even YEARS for someone interested to even look at it that could afford it. Sad fact is, Most of the folks that would like an Ecto cant afford one. You would have to find an enthusiast with alot of ready cash. And that is a tough thing to find.

And for the Record. My Ecto-1a Replica is NOT For Sale.

TheEcto1a

TheEcto1a is very right, those cars are few and far apart. 5G's is a steal! worry about the parts later, you got a 61 caddy!
im gone.