A ’59 Impala is one of the hottest 50’s cars on the collector market today. They even out-sell ’57 Chevy’s on a regular basis. The coveted ’59 Impala convertible will set you back a pretty penny if you want to buy one that is already finished. So you thought, hey I’ll just buy a project and restore it myself! However, even that can be very costly, as an eBay auction that ended on April 3, 2011 proves. The car in question is in tough shape, a rust bucket to be sure!  The sale price was just shy of $15,000 bux. There is no 348 with tri-power, no 4-speed either, just a stuck 283. “Barn Fresh” it may be, but it is far from the ideal restoration project. If experience is any indicator, the rust is worse than what you can see… and it looks bad! However, I’ve seen some ’59 Convertibles on eBay that were rusted-in-two, the floors completely gone and the frame rotted so thin that when the doors are opened it would fold like a cheap tent. People restore cars that are this bad… that’s how coveted a ’59 Impala convertible is these days. So, with that considered, I suppose this car really is a find! When restored, it will be a REAL ’59 Impala convertible, not a fake conversion created from a sedan and another donor GM brand convertible (Buick or Pontiac for example). If you consider that fully restored and done professionally, the car should bring between $60,000 – $80,000, it isn’t a bad investment… IF you can do the work yourself. If you have to pay a restoration shop, you’d still be better off buying a finished car. Take a look at the pics, this is what 15 large gets you.