Nov 2003 Vehicle Description (EBAY 220805) Up for auction is a super clean 1987 Avanti Coupe. This has been one pampered car for it's entire life. The milage is correct at 31,930 miles. 5,000 of those miles have been added in the last 9 months. This Avanti is one of the last ones ever produced where the original Studebaker Avantis were made in South Bend, Indiana. Sometime between the 1987-88 model years production moved from South Bend, IN to Youngstown Ohio. The VIN# is 12AAV123H10000020. From what I have researched on this car, the VIN ending in "20" indicates that this was the twentieth Avanti made in the '87 model year. In 1987 the company reported making 154 coupes and 54 convertibles. Several minor changes have been made to this car's appearance from the way it originally looked. For instance, this car was repainted in March of 2004 a Chrysler PT Cruiser color, inferno red tinted pearl and looks very striking on the legendary Avanti curves. I have included a picture of an '87 the way it would have looked new(please note, this auction is for one Avanti only). When you look at that picture and the way this one looks I think you will see that these very subtle changes make a dramatic improvement in the overall looks of the car. One modification that will jump out at you immediately are the wheels. The wheels are Budnik Pentacle wheels with Cooper Lifeliner tires mounted on them. These were purchased in Jan. of 2004 and the tires still have lots of life left on them. The wheels and tires cost $2,500.00. Two other changes that have been made to the exterior of this car that you might not notice immediately are that the headlight rims have been chromed, and the "skunk stripe" that runs the length of the car has been removed. Now for the interior. The stock interior has had very few changes made to it. The only significant modification has been that the factory AM/FM/cass has been replaced with an XM ready Alpine CDA9813 AM/FM/CD/MP3 stereo. This radio was installed in early 2004 and was the next to the top of the line Alpine at the time and cost $400.00. Additionally, two Infinity speakers were professionally installed in the kick panel areas in the front. The Stereo is a detachable faceplate model w/remote. The leather wrapped steering wheel is very comfortable and Michael Kelly's (the owner of the company at the time) signature is on the wheel. The instrumentation is stock and no changes were needed to the classic Stewart-Warner analog cluster. All instruments function properly. As with the original Studebaker Avanti's, the instrument lighting is red at night. The AC will keep you cool even on 100 degree days. The power seats were added by the previous owner. The seats themselves are stock, but they were put on Cadillac power seat mounts. They function perfectly. Mechanically the car is sound. A new power brake master cylinder was installed in 2004. A new passenger power window motor has been recently installed as well. Unfortunately the driver's window motor is now in need of repair or will need to be replaced. A new power antenna has been added recently as well as a new window washer motor. The battery has been moved to the trunk. This was done by the pervious owner because of prior experience with the weight of the battery cracking the fiberglass. When this was done, a cigarette lighter type power port was added to the engine compartment. The engine is strong and the 4 spd auto. trans shifts flawlessly. The flaws. As I have already mentioned, the drivers power window motor is not working. I have a part number for this and it is readily available for around $150.00. The car is equipped with cruise control, but it hasn't worked since we have had the car. The documentation includes a manual and troubleshooting guide for the cruise control unit. The left front tire made contact with the fender and cracked the paint and fiberglass somewhat. This is not really noticable until you get right up on it, but it is worth mentioning. A small crack in the paint has recently developed in the top of the right fender. Again, it is very small and difficult to notice unless you are washing the car. Probably the biggest thing that will need to be tended to on this car is the moonroof. It leaks in the rain. If you are planning to store this car outside or drive it in the rain, this will need to be tended to soon. Again, as I understand it, parts for these moonroofs are still available and not too difficult to obtain and I will be happy to assist you locate any parts you may have problems finding. Also included with this car is plenty of documentation and records. The car has no smoke or pet odors. I will get some other pictures of the car in the early part of next week. I'll get some of the underside and of the engine compartment. These pictures and many others can be viewed here Good luck and happy bidding!! Please ask all questions before bidding. I check my e-mail often and will get the answer to you as soon as I can.