old68

http://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/...e/1734662.html

these guys in Denver are the worst, I had the misfortune of dealing with them in the past, my flawless restored 68 firebird was a total fraud, totally cobbled together rust bucket,

BE WARNED , I have come across lots of people burned by them,

good news is , the horrible experience led me to this forum and now I got a 65 roadster in my garage, bought via this forum

doorgunner

Thanks for warning the C3 Forum.

Alan 71

Hi o68,
The scope of the ad tells about the car and seller.
Lot's of exterior photos, 2 interior photos, and 1 engine bay photo.
The seller is counting on the buyer being blinded by the red paint.
Sad but true!
Regards,
Alan

3JsVette

What Alan said............

Pride & Joy

Please forgive my ignorance, but what's wrong with that car? Obviously there are some aftermarket parts on it, but otherwise it seems to be in pretty good shape.

I'm interested in buying a convertible C3 in the not too distant future, but I'm not sure what to look for. A couple of you truly seem to know what you're talking about, so I'm very interested in your comments. Feel free to "PM" me if you don't want to do so publicly. I think I'm way to easily distracted by the bright red paint and hope to avoid any similar pitfalls in the future! Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

Raphiki

Have you looked at the "sticky" on buying a C3? https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...-corvette.html

leadfoot4

At a "quick glance", the seller on one hand, is describing the car as a "numbers matching" car, which implies something along the lines of a show car. Then you look at the pictures, which show dull paint, a non-stock hood, and an engine with a bunch of "day two" modifications, which, of course, aren't stock. So what is it, a restored Corvette, or a "resto-modded Corvette, or some sort of beater? Then there's the potential rust in the frame and/or the birdcage.....

DUB

Thanks for the 'heads-up'.

But as I tell many people who are thinking of buying a Corvette is that they need to bring it by so I can check it out. And any person that buys a Corvette out of emotion only deserves everything that they get in the end. Simple as that.

If a person does not know anything about a product they plan to buy...get someone who KNOWS so they can save a bunch of problems....or at least let you know what 'problems' you are facing right off the bat.

DUB

Bad Bird

As cruel as it sounds, it's true. I once bought a Corvette purely on emotion and it blinded me to a bunch of flaws that ruined the car for me.

keithinspace

To Mr. Pride & Joy: There may be absolutely nothing "wrong" with the car. It may run and drive and be an absolute hoot.

Mine ran and drive and was an absolute hoot when I bought it.

The issue is that this vehicle is being offered, and priced, as a "special" car when the evidence provided is that this is a decent "driver" car with a paint job that could have come out of a rattle can.

I bought a "driver quality" 1970 for $7k. It had issues, but I BOUGHT the issues and am having the time of my life FIXING the issues.

$30k should buy one heck of a car, be it a survivor-style vehicle, or a tastefully modified vehicle.

The evidence that is provided is NOT evidence of "one heck of a car".

aussiejohn

...and they can't even get the VIN correct!! It could be argued that they are falsely representing this vehicle by posting an invalid VIN. Also, the two parts of the front right grille don't line up. And the left side is out just a little, but probably within the tolerances of the day.

Regards from Down Under.

aussiejohn

bkvette3

Don't feel bad, brother - happened to me, too on a previous Corvette purchase. Was in my early twenties, thought I knew everything and the pretty paint job caught me. Live and learn.

Bad Bird

True that.

I was in my early twenties too and I got blindsided by big block goodness. Live and learn. I didn't make the same mistake twice.

FASTAZU

I did not know that a 68 came with a retractile antenna or one piece rocker panels?

jim-81

and on the other end of the spectrum, I got very lucky when I bought my 81. I knew NOTHING about them and did NO research and just took it for a short test drive before I decided to buy it. Bought it the next day on a credit card. Totally on emotion. The car has no rust on it but I could have gotten burned bad. Oh, and it's red too. But it wasn't advertised as any type of numbers matching car.

Pride & Joy

Many thanks to all for your comments - lots to learn in the Corvette world no doubt!

I find the comments regarding emotion very interesting - one of the things I enjoy the most about the car and its enthusiasts, is the passion that's shared across the entire spectrum of ownership. While I can't imagine buying a Corvette that I wasn't emotionally "smitten" by, I can certainly understand how someone could be quite bitter at overpaying for a car that has been misrepresented. Again, many thanks for your comments. I'll do my best to absorb as much as I can and apply your hard earned wisdom the next time I "fall in love".

LeMans Pete

I like this line under disclosures:

"ORIGINAL 427 BIG BLOCK DATE STAMP RUBBED OFF WHEN RESURFACING THE BLOCK DURING REBUILT. (Common issue with these 427 V8s). Paperwork to prove authenticity."

I'm curious where this one falls in the whole "matching numbers" debate. Thankfully, I have a small block. I'd hate to have to deal with the "common issue" of my numbers rubbing off with those big blocks!

Alan 71

Hi P&J,
For me the first clue that CAUTION is in order with car is the asking price.
A very nice REAL 427 68 convertible is a WHOLE lot more $$$ than the asking price of this car.
So just what is this car that makes it sellable for $30k… and probably a little less.
The lack of pictures I mentioned make it impossible to even guess.
Regards,
Alan

ddawson

My take, one step down.

The block can be original to the car but you can only go by the block number and date at that point. A true NOM would be a block from a different year/car.

leadfoot4

One thing to keep in mind, is the cautions presented here, might be slanted toward Corvettes, but also represent good solid advice on purchasing any older, potentially classic, used car!!