Well a few things here come to mind;
1. this is TV so there is that, it is possible that this wasn't a "real" deal. That said, its just as likely it was/is.
2. he is known for buying cars and people come to him, so its understandable that he finds some killer deals from time to time (anyone who has ever bought and sold cars knows how this goes, one smoking deal for 8 ok deals and 2 horrible deals).
Its all about knowing the right people, having the cash and being willing to make the deal right then and there. I would agree that $38K for those 3 cars was a super smoking deal, but it is what it is and good for him. You can bet that not one of them will be for sale for less than that (not saying he will get it, just saying it will start there).
This is not the reason E bodies are out of reach for most today, the reason is the "investors" of the world who decided that muscle cars, specifically mopar muscle cars were like art and began to pay more and more money for them. Once this happens, there is a ripple effect all the way down the line and across the brand. Part and parcel to this issue is the "restorers" who made/make a living recreating these cars; it costs a lot of money to restore a car, a lot more than most think. Subsequently as the investors started to buy the top of the breed, others took notice and while they may not have wanted a hemi or 6 pack car, they wanted the car from their youth and subsequently bought a car and threw stupid money at it to get it done. Keep in mind that it costs about as much to restore a /6 car as it does a hemi car (notice I said about), therefore there began to develop a population of restored over priced cars. So, as naturally happens, the guy who spent $100+ to get his dream car done and then discovered it is a 70's car; marginally reliable, drove horribly compared to modern cars, etc. decides to sell but only gets $50K for it. Meanwhile those at home watching with a derelict E body on the property come to the mistaken conclusion that their car must be work $30K because "it isn't that bad" and "it ran when parked" not realizing (or considering) that the entire car would have to be gone through to make usable.
Point here is this; there are deals out there but you probably are not going to find them online, as anyone online knows enough to use google. Secondly, rarely is a "deal" going to show up at your doorstep, you have to hunt for it. Lastly, you must have CASH in hand when you find a deal because the moment you turn away to "think about it" or go to the bank, someone else is in there with cash. As the saying goes, "cash talks and BS walks".
