No question about that.
I have a '70 Polara 'vert (318, all-original car with just 31k miles when I bought her 2 years ago) and a '71 Monaco hardtop (440, 75k miles when I bought her). They offer very different driving experiences, yet I love both.
No one commenting above said that C-body 'verts are noisy, and that is because they are not. My Polara is super quiet all the way up to 45-55 MPH (you are really driving in your sofa, and you can have convos with your passenger without having to raise your voice: it really is that good). Above that speed, there is some wind rush but not so much that it is deafening -- several times, I drove a couple of hours at a time on the highway and I was none worse for the wear. My passengers, ranging in age from 10 to 84 years old, have shared with me how comfortable the car is.
Granted, as @Big_John said, with the top up a 'vert is noticeably noisier than a coupe -- one more reason to put the top down as soon as you have a chance.
I am not sure that you need A/C in Edmonton. I would argue that the driving experience is much more enjoyable with all the windows down.
This said, if you plan to drive long-distance and do want A/C, I'd indeed avoid AutoTemp like the plague on 1969-70 and 1974-78 cars. Do note that the ATC on the 1971-73 can be fixed, even if it is not cheap. I recently took the plunge on a '73 NYB on that basis. But then again, there is tons of summer humidity where I'm at, and the rest of the car was too good to let ATC2 stop me.
OK, I am going to go into specifics before turning back to generalities:
1. I note that you are in Edmonton. That's a good thing: there are a number of FCBO members in Alberta, which is a big plus. Many are in the Calgary area. Closest to you is a super-nice member, @Welder guy. He is based in Leduc, AB and helped me out big time with the acquisition of a 300 'vert two summers ago.
2. If my own experience in the past two months can be generalized, the virus situation has partly isolated the Canadian classic-cars market from the rest of the world, which is bad for Canadian sellers and good for local buyers.
3. I know a member in Western Canada who has decided to sell one of his big Mopars. The model year is not in your preferred year range, but the car is oh so beautiful. Looking at your own Belvedere, you might really like his car.
4. If you want to stick to coupes and are willing to get a car from the States, then there is a '69 Fury 2dr, H-code (383-4) not massively far away from you (for sale in Oregon) that might be of interest. I know it's not a 70-72 but it seems to be in really excellent cosmetic condition. That car was built in Windsor and its first owner was Canadian, both of which may matter to you. It stayed in the original family till last year. The asking price is $13k (and the seller says he expects to be negotiated down), which seems eminently reasonable for 4-barrel BB C-body in rust-free condition: an all-original '71 300 in GF9 green/tan interior recently sold sight unseen for $12.5k, while an all-original '71 Monaco in GF3 green/green interior also sold sight unseen for $13.5k. Both had a front bench draped in torn fabric but were rust-free and unmolested.
Now back to generalities:
A. The folks who have chimed in above have lots of experience (in most cases, much more than I have) with C-bodies and I would take their wisdom to heart.
B. @Big_John is right on the money (as always) when he says that fixing a cheap car is much more expensive in the end than getting a good one to start with. Even with the best cars, @Zymurgy and @shooter65 are smack on -- there are a bunch of things you'll always want to go through unless stuff was recently done (and then again, was it done correctly? I had to undo many things the previous owner did to Medina, my '71 Monaco).
C. I'll add that you don't need to do your own work to enjoy the cars -- but if you do not work yourself, then you MUST find someone trustworthy who will do a good job and yet will not take you to the cleaners. Not all Mopar experts are competent with C-bodies: do your research first. And, it may be that the person you end up working with is a member -- that's what happened to me with @71Polara383, and after fixing Medina he's now fixing two more cars for/with me!
PS: your Belvedere looks sharp!
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