earthquake68

I put my nice driver condition '79 Corvette in the classic car auction in Branson. What was the reaction to my bubble back? It has NO value!

An '81 Camaro Z28 sold for $9,300.
A custom '57 Chevy styled GOLF CART sold for $10K.
A horribly painted '71 Chevy truck that looked like they "restored" it with materials from Home Depot fetched $4,300.

What's a nice '79 Corvette with decent interior and very good mechanical condition worth? ...$5,200.

It's not like there wasn't any money in the room. A nice '66 Chevelle sold for $34K.

A beautiful '68 Mustang Shelby GT 500 sold for $115K.

A TV series Batmobile REPLICA sold for $160K.

This nice, shiny red Corvette couldn't get a $5,500 offer all weekend.








....so what's everyone's thoughts on this? I should mention the interior looks much better now. This was a shot from before the interior cleaning. No tears in the seats and they don't look bad. I asked around the people actually spending money on cars and clean, low mileage (Must be documented) C3's average value in pristine condition are around $12-$16K.

I couldn't even get $5,500 out of mine at the auction. My absolute bottom dollar was $7K and people were looking at me like I had two heads.

earthquake68

I just checked the archives. There was a MINT, one owner, 28K documented miles, absolutely PRISTINE 1979 Corvette that sold for $8,370. Color was silver with a red interior. Original paint and interior. It had the tank sticker, original window sticker, and all service receipts with it.

I guess I'm going to get out of plastic cars if a golf cart has more resale value.

Mike Ward

Aftermarket sidepipes turn a lot of people off. The interior might be clean, but it appears heavily worn- look at the steering wheel. Drivers side map pocket appears to be broken.

No engine pics
no chassis pics

76Vett

There's no doubt that I'll have more in my 76 Vett then it will ever be worth, but the thumbs up and looks I get make it all worth it.

ezobens

It's all in the presentation and the pictures above aren't very flattering IMO.
The paint looks oxidized (where are the center caps?) and the interior looks trashed. I have a hard time believing the interior could have cleaned up a whole lot when the leather itself looks worn out (can you provide an 'after' shot of the interior?). If the car doesn't present well, one also starts to wonder about mechanical condition of the car.

Reality is that they made a ton of 79's and no one is going to pay a lot of money for this well worn driver if you can get one that 'looks' new for 10K-12K.

Why did you try to sell something like this at an auction vs CL or ebay or the local paper?
I wouldn't consider this car 'auction material'. Most buyers go to auctions looking for 'above average', this really doesn't fit the bill IMO.

My intent is not to offend you in any way, I am only trying to convey what I've seen in auctions vs what I see in these pictures.

earthquake68

The paint is NOT oxidized. You can clearly read a newspaper in the side of the car.

As I said, there was a NEW '79 that only sold for $8,300. $1,000's of dollars were spent on the mechanical end of this car. Perhaps the problem here is nit pickers such as yourself. A heavy metal car can have plenty of flaws, but nobody says, "boo" to them. If I have a scuff mark in the interior of a 'Vette, it's instantly worthless. Yes, look at the steering wheel. Did you look at the perfect dash? No, of course you didn't.

I've had ads on the internet and print and have not even received one curiosity call about it. Not one offer in ANY dollar amount. Not even a low ball offer. So, ...it went to the auction. I see what the market is doing now. If you own a rubber bumper car, you better love it, because it has zero street value.

I personally don't care to sell a car I have $8K in for $5,000. I'm in business to make money, not lose it. So far, I've done OK on Corvettes, but this will be the last one I own.

ezobens

Nuff' said.

Gonna be a hard sell on a 79' that has oxidized paint (doesn't matter if you can "read the paper" in it- If it looks more pink than red, it's oxidized) and a great dash but otherwise trashed interior.
People don't care how much you put into it, only what they think it's worth.
Based on your personal experience, the buying public has spoken on this one.
Best of luck on your sale.

Paul L

If you own a rubber bumper car, you better love it, because it has zero street value.

I would dispute that statement.

You 1979 is not well presented. It exudes an air of "well worn". Small things like missing caps on the alloys give a bad impression. It would be interesting to see what is under the hood. And where I live it is illegal to have that exhaust system.

I'm in business to make money, not lose it.

If so, I would not have chosen a 1979 Corvette. They can be fun cars but not investment material.

redvetracr

If you invested $8K in that car you made a poor investment...

E12n

Probably need more information about the car --- L82 or L48, what works/doesn't work, modifications, extra tops, etc. I'd have to look it up, but I thought 1979 was the year the most corvettes were made.

Either way, like you mentioned, the rubber bumper market is still probably soft.

GLWTS!

F22

You always have to be 'objective' about your ride. People at an auction are expecting premium cars, no matter what year. Your dash is perfect, but the steering wheel looks god-awful in comparison and is the very first thing you see! The dirty floor mats don't help either. Finally, sidepipes are definitely a very personal option on a C3 and they are a 'love it or leave it' proposition. If a C3 has sidepipes, it better be well executed and black side pipes against black rockers, with black glass tops gives the whole car kind of an odd look. Colored tops might have helped.

As a final note, my 74' is a top-faded, interior-in-work, no-hood, former street racer and it looks it. I accept its shortcomings and take it in stride, because it has other things going for it and it is a work in progress. Everybody is not going to see, what you see, because it's your car. You have to look at it, like it wasn't yours and I think that's where the problem lies.

7T1vette

For an auction car, your '79 looks 'well used' and presents the image that it has not had good care/maintenance. That may not be true, but that IS what potential buyers will see and perceive.

If you don't have a car that is clean and well presented at an auction, it will show poorly and not receive any interest. That is just the way it is.

If the interior had been restored (good cleaning of parts, newly recolored with vinyl dye, replace seatcovers if necessary, new carpet), and the engine compartment cleaned up well, that car might have been purchased for $8K or more.

qwank

I think it's spot on. That interior is gross, I can only imagine what the engine compartment and chassis looks like

Mashman

79 was the single largest production run of Corvettes of any year, there were over 53k built that year. I love all Corvettes, but I'm only going to pay what the laws of supply and demand dictate the price should be. And unfortunately, certain years of Corvettes will most likely not appreciate much, at least not in the near future, if ever.

7T1vette

Most folks throw their money at appearance and condition.

Bad "show"; no dough.

20mercury

I like your Corvette, nice color and side pipes are cool. Agree, some cleaning and some details would help.

However, your overarching message is worth hearing; pristine 79 went for $8370, a less than pristine 79 goes for less $'s.

Market is still soft and the reality is the economy is still bad (IMHO, but it might be robust for delusional speculators on wall street drunk on QE).

Also believe, for most people 74 to 82 Corvettes are play toys. My objective was not to make money, but not get too bad upside down. Unless you gotta sell, wait a while and the economy will be better in a few years (I hope!). Corvettes are still a better money pit than boats and a lotta other crap!

kschulen

I have to also agree with everyone else. As a fellow 79 owner, I know i will not see a return on my investment. With that being said, If that was my car, I would NEVER take that to an auction or expect $8k+ for it. I purchased mine for $4k, and only because the frame and birdcage was in extremely good condition. I did gut the interior and had still ahd to fix numerous other issues but it did run well. I am currently in the process of stripping it and getting her ready for paint. Those above pictures make mine look GREAT even with cheap seat covers on and a discolored bumper.

Tim H

Welcome to the ownership of a late C3.
I sold my 79 with a salvage title 10 years ago for $8500.
Interior colors make a difference, I wont buy a car unless it has a good interior color like red, black , blue or a gray of some hue.

vettebuyer6369

You started a thread and asked for everyone's thoughts... don't ask for input if people's opinions are not what you want to hear.


It sounds like you bought the car to sell and make money. Probably a poor choice in selecting a '79, the Corvette which were the most made before the C4s. These cars are commonly within the lowest-selling prices of any Corvette, pre-1984. Not because they are bad cars, (they are great cars) but because thats where they fall on the food chain. There's a million of them and as you found out, there's excellent examples that sell for poor money. They are entry-level Corvettes, and that's just the truth.

Ive seen incredibly low mileage original similar cars barely crack 12k at auction.

I cant see the car in person, so I dont want to be too "nit picky" but what I can see tells me $6k would be too much in an auction setting. You provided pictures of a very dirty interior that would not help the sale, and the black sidepipes do not help that car one bit. I understand it probably looked better at the auction. And as was said, there's no other engine, etc photos.

$7kish is a price you could hope for from a first time buyer who gets excited over a red Corvette. Not impossible, but you have to wait that one out. At an auction, I think the bidding wasnt much lower than I would expect.

Easy Mike

It wasn't your weekend. Get over it and move on. Next time out, you might get your price.

Good luck.