When you speak of Camaros, the 69 is usually the one folks really go for. One reason is there were more 69's made than any other year. They were in production for a year and a half while GM tooled up for the 70 and the huge body style change from 69 to 70. The 1970 is technically the 70.5 but most no one ever refers to it as such any more. There is also the mild difference in taste mentioned in the above post. The 69 is a little longer, flatter looking, than the 67 and 68 was. Someone mentioned trying to find a car from the SW as well to keep the rust issue down. That is great advice also. My 67 came from Georgia and I have a pretty decent body on mine, the body was my biggest concern. If you are looking for a driver and not a numbers matching car, then you can always pick up a crate engine and drop in. All F Bodies (Camaros and Firebirds) have some common rust areas that are more susceptiable to rust. Look carefully at the area around the back glass, lower front quarter pannels and lower portion of the rear quarter pannels. You will most likely find some metal repair, bondo or rust in those places. As for handling and stopping, many are converting Corvette disc brake systems now to put on their 1st generation F Body cars. There are also a ton of suspension upgrades you can do to make the car drive and handle much more like a modern car. On my 67 Camaro, I'm most likely going to do a brake upgrade in the future, but I personally like the raw, performance feel of the original type of suspension and handling. I can go on for hours on this subject, they others are giving good advice on this as well. Bottom line, do your home work, and make sure to fatten up your bank account because this isn't a cheap hobby by any means. It does help to find a club as well. You can get lots of advice, some education on repairs and the cars as well. Plus having a couple of buddys help with the heavy work involved is something invaluable! I'm President of a NC/SC car club that is GM only. Feel free to contact me if you have any other questions. I'm always glad to help a fellow car enthusist who is looking to learn!

Funny stories about different transactions. Bill_h, I'm glad to read that in the Motor City, it's somewhat of a free-for-all. It just seems appropriate, being the home of the U.S. auto industry. One thing that can work well for selling a car -- if you're replacing it with a new or used car from a dealer -- is what dealers around here call a "courtesy trade." You and the buyer of your car agree on a price as usual, then you and your buyer go together to the dealer where you're buying your new car. The dealer shows your old car on the sales documents as a trade, with the value being the price the buyer is going to pay for it. This saves you on sales tax in many states. The buyer then purchases the car from the dealer for that price. I know of many dealers who will do this for free, as a service to the person buying the car from them. A few charge the buyer a standard "paperwork" fee. They're willing to do it even though they make no money on the sale of the trade because it can help you buy the new car, since the buyer is presumably giving you more for it than the dealer would have.

The liability might not automatically cover the rental car because somebody else could be using your car while you are gone, meaning you'd be insuring two cars for the price of one. It depends on the laws of your state. If your agent says that liability DOES extend to the rented vehicle, ask them to point it out in your policy. When it comes to insurance, if it's not in writing it isn't true. Credit card coverage is usually very good, but again be sure to read all the fine print. There are likely to be "exceptions" and "exclusions." Plus, it usually covers damage to the rental only. Keep in mind that even though credit card coverage would pay for repairs, the rental company will still want to collect the daily rate from you while the vehicle is out of service. Typically, the insurance will NOT cover that.

Sorry about your fire. What a terrible situation but I'm glad the damage wasn't more extensive. Something you need to consider when you think about enclosing a carport is building codes. Adding a door makes it an enclosed space and you may need to add 5/4" drywall that is taped and mudded, along with a self closing fire rated door if it leads into the house. Your city's code enforcement office will be able to give you details as to what exactly needs to be done.