Scott's 73

I was commenting on another post and it hit me,... wouldn't it be fun to talk about the story behind how we searched, found and then purchased our prized possession. You know, the one that takes up so much of our time but Damn are they fun to drive.... Our Corvettes.
This is my story....

I found my 73 on Craigslist. I have been searching for 3 months in my local area with no luck, so I then started to look outside my local area. I broadened my search to include a 6 hour drive. One afternoon I was looking in the Vasalia area (6 hours North of me) and there was an ad that just came up. I still have it stored in my email.

Date: 2012-07-07, 9:03AM
1973 Corvette Stingray 37000 original miles, 350, 4 speed, T tops, Aircondition, power windows, Must See to appreciate original down to the paint. After being in storage for nearly 30 years was recently pulled out detailed and serviced.
Must sell, $14000 obo Contact Donald

I instantly called the guy and found out that he was listing the car for his aunt and she didn't do the computer thing. It has been sitting on jack stands since 1983 and it had just under 37,000 original mile. Well my arm went numb and then I started stumbling my words because my heart was thumping so fast.
After talking to this guy for a while he told me that there was a guy coming up to look at the car tomorrow at noon so I told him I would be there too. I grabbed a hand full of cash and rented a trailer and up I went. The next day Mary Ann (the wife of the original owner who passed away 5 years earlier) was there and the other guy that came from Fresno was already looking at the car. We both test drove it and then we both decided that we wanted the car! That's when the fun began... I know that the OBO usually means that we would be offering a lower price but in this case I was willing to offer more for the car.
Mary Ann asked the other guy what was his plans with her husbands car if he was to buy it and then he started listing off things like repainting it, putting in a big block and so on. She then turned to me and asked the same question. I replied that the car was perfect to me and that her husband kept it in such good shape that it would be a shame to change anything. All I was going to do was to make it road worthy and drive it around town.
She walked over to Fresno, (my heart dropped because I knew I would be heading home empty handed) and she shook his hand and said thanks for coming today, then she walked over to me and said lets go do the paperwork. Fresno got pissed and said that he wants the car was willing to pay more and she told him once again... thanks and have a nice day.
She later told me that she decided to sell me the car because of what I told her. She wanted to keep it original, like her late husband did.

We loaded up the car on the trailer and I paid her the money for the 73 and I promised her that I would stay in touch with her so she can see that her late husbands baby would be well taken care of.

I did the math and from the records that I got from her, since 1983 to when I bought her, they put 1300 miles on what is now my pride and joy. The tire shop also told me that the tires on my Vette were produced in 1983. Yikes
Since I have gotten her, I have put almost 5000 miles.

That's my story.... What's yours???

jr73

I was having a conversation with a guy at work and was telling him I always wanted a C3. He said "I have one for sale" so I went to see it and was turned off cuz it was a basket case. A year later I had a change of heart.

Scott's 73

So how is it now?????

qwank

craigslist

bj1k

I'm glad that you got the car. I would have picked you also for the same reason . It's only money and it would have been a shame to mutilate such an original car.

jr73

the body is so scary I cant show you but here is where I am now.
p.s. your 73 is sweet. I love green.

FINWOLF

Under the Christmas tree

Brack c

Saw it sitting on the street corner . It was right after I got my 2nd divorce and had to cash out my 401K to give up half of it ( grrrrrrr ) ...had a pocket full of money & had been wanting one since I sold my Chevelle ....low Miles ( 80,000) paint was 10 footer and interior , well .....his pets had been slleoing in it in his barn ....he was asking $ 9500 , got it for $ 5000....flashed benjamins , he jumped

Scott's 73

jr73... Is that your garage? It looks like it's set up pretty good. I see a lift too. Nice.

jr73

Good eye. Yep its my 28x40 shop, epoxy coated floors and forced air heat plus most important a fridge full of beer to lure my buddies to come over and help me.

bj1k

Why hesitate because it is a basket case ? When I went to look at mine it was only a body on the bare frame sitting up on jack stands with no suspension under it. It was a complete car with only 52k. miles but the guy had taken it apart with plans to restore it but lost interest. He had bought about $7,000. worth of new parts that came with the car so that gave me the incentive to take the project on. It was a ton of fun trying to get it on to my trailer to transport it . We had to make up two racks with caster wheels on the front and rear. This was two months ago and so far the chassis is sandblasted and painted and completely assembled with the drivetrain and the body re-installed . Just got it running a few days ago so the hard part is done and it will get painted in the spring and have the new interior installed . So don't hesitate when it is a basket case . A few months of hard work and as we all know lots of bucks it can become a reality.

Scott's 73

Nice!!! I keep telling the wife I want to build a shop on our property and she keeps telling me... No problem, just sell your car and then we could pay for it. It's a touchy subject around here.

Scott's 73

I agree with you. I actually was looking for a fixer upper but when I found my 73, I had to buy it and it doesn't need anything done to it. I want to work on it so bad that I bought polyurethane bushings just so I had something to work on. I'm sick and I need some help!!!

MrJlr

I wasn't looking. Didn't want another.......

At dinner with my then GF, come outside and I said "that is what my old Vette looked like".
She says "look, it's for sale!"

Turns out the guy lived 2 blocks from me.

Basket case. She's a car again now though

Mako72

Back in 1974 after trying for months to find a '70-'72 vette equipped like I wanted, decided to place a wanted ad in the St. Louis newspaper.
When the weekend paper came out, I found my wanted ad in the Corvettes for sale section. Right above my wanted ad was an ad for an '72 vette for sale. I ended up buying that car and I have it still today. I also still have the very same newspaper cars for sale section that my ad appeared in. Intrestingly enough, in the Plymouth for sale section is an '70 Hemicuda for sale for about the same amout I paid for my '72.

TheSkunkWorks

4 long stories short, but not necessarily in the following order...


'69 L71 coupe - used, Hemmings, since sold to a Corvette shop, current whereabouts unknown.
'70 ZR1 coupe - used w/NOM, local classifieds, since sold to a buddy, AFAIK currently residing among a collection in Indiana.
'78 SAE coupe - new, local dealer's lot, modified, still own it.
'92 LT1 'vert. - new, custom ordered, since sold thru Corvette Trader (cover shot w/o fee), current whereabouts unknown.


Yes, you read that correctly. I actually found a ZR1 for sale in the local newspaper, but that was back in the day when none of us quite understood what we were letting slip thru our formerly nicotine stained fingers. Excuse me while I go out in the garage and kick myself, yet again.

Scott's 73

Cool story!!! when i hear about a person that has had the same car for 40 years, it's like meeting a couple that has been married for the same time. It gives me goosebumps and fills me with envy. Nice story

jr73

Because it looked like this. But what brought me back is the more I thought about the uniqueness of the 73 I had to try to save it.

doorgunner

BY ACCIDENT!
My first choice was a '68 hardtop across town.....second choice was a coupe one mile from my house.

Both Seller's phone numbers were entered into my cell phone as "Vette".

I was third in line for the hardtop basket case......and first in line for the drivable coupe. BUT I WANTED A CONVERTIBLE SINCE I WAS A CHILD!

After waiting a month for word from the seller of the convertible, I decided to buy the coup before someone else bought it. I hit the speed dial on the phone....I heard "hello"....I said "I'm buying the car---I'm bringing $XXXX to you right now". The seller said "bring the money....meet me at the notary....then we'll get the car out of the tractor shed.

TRACTOR SHED???????

THE COUPE ISN'T NEAR ANY TRACTOR SHED.....WHAT THE??????

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOPS!

I CALLED THE WRONG PERSON---THIS IS THE GUY WITH THE CONVERTIBLE ACROSS TOWN!



I'm accidentally buying the same body/style car I wanted as a kid!



I loaded it on my B.I.L's trailer and smiled all the way home......Sure---it was a basket case/wrong front and rear clips, but it looked perfect to me!

The........................beginning.... .....(LOL)

briankeery

Canadian version of Craigslist. Looked at 17 cars and finally found what I wanted on number 18. By the time I'd found it, it was the middle of February......so the seller kept it in storage until May for me - when I finally drove it for the first time.