In 2002, I bought a 75 Lemans Sport Coupe from long distance...1850 miles. It's not a very valuable car, but it's a model that I've always liked, and this one had only 62K miles on it. So with the exception of some small defects in the original paint, it still had a "new" look to it, especially the interior. The cool northern temps preserved the vinyl well. It was reasonably priced for the condition. The seller was the second owner, and had all paperwork from day one.
The seller said it could be driven anywhere. I thought to myself that a Pontiac with only 62K miles in 27 years(at that time) is just now broken-in good
, and there couldn't be much wrong with the drivetrain with that low mileage. The car looked all original and well-cared-for in the pics, so I took a chance on seeing if it really could be driven anywhere. I sent him a small down payment to hold it until I could fly up a couple weeks later. He was very nice and said he'd refund my down-payment if I didn't like it. All I was risking was the cost of the airplane ride and some time. I flew from Atlanta to Minot, North Dakota, where he met me as the airport. I looked the car over, and it was just like the seller said it was. I was concerned about rust, being from up north, but it had practically no rust. I paid him and we checked all the fluids, including rearend lubricant, and I drove it the 1850 miles back with no trouble. I got to drive through parts of the country I'd never been to before, in an interesting old car which made it more fun. And I stopped to see some friends in NC on the way back. It was a great experience. I've doubled the mileage on it in the 8-1/2 years I've had the car, so it's been a good one.
So, with that 76 TA, you could do the same thing. Fly there and take a look. It looks like it'd make a 900 mile trip to me, as long as the tires are good. Just do a little test drive, and if you like it, buy it, check all fluids, and drive it home. If you don't like the tires, you could get some new ones installed before you leave to go home. But, if not satisfied with the car, fly back home
.
Here's one of my favorite pics from my trip. This is at an Inn where I stayed in Hudson, MN:
