Have him look around...I bought this for $18,200 and drove it home from Dallas:
Other than a new air cleaner and new poly bushings in the suspension, I have had very little to do on it....it was drivable as purchased. It has a box-stock drivetrain from a 1989 Mustang GT, converted to carb, except for the live axle, which is a 3.70 9" Tractionloc. It is reliable, starts every time, idles at 750 RPM, no need to even touch the footfeed to idle up a very steeply inclined driveway to the garage.
It can be scary fast....I had a few close calls before I learned how little it takes with the right foot to break the tires loose. He really should find someone with one and take a test drive if possible, or at least a spirited ride with the owner. These things swap ends so fast you are left wondering what happened, not for the faint of heart. Mine has a very compliant suspension, but being so light it does ride a bit roughly and you definitely feel the bumps.
Hope he finds one to buy, they are out there for VERY decent prices b/c of the economic downturn we've experienced in America. If he pays in that price range for a FFR donor build, he'd be cheating himself...it's a buyer's market.
Are you sure he can't stretch his budget enough to buy Bill's ERA? The ERA is sort of the gold standard when it comes to fiberglass replicas, IMHO, and the 289 is THE car to have.....the TRUE original, IMHO.
Cheers, and good luck in the search!!!
Dugly
