AMRAAM

Good evening everyone. I'm coming from a C5 that I sold when we bought our house a few years ago, but don't know much about the C3.

i have the opportunity to trade my 3000GT Twin Turbo for a 79 L48 and I'm looking to see if it would be a good trade or not. Performance wise, I'm guessing there isn't much completition with the 3000GT, but OI'm looking at more of an "easier to sell" kind of trade.

The car is 12 hours away and if we decide to deal, will be meeting about half way. I'd like to avoid making the trip if there is a good possibility of getting there and finding it is junk. The owner is looking a a trade value of around 5k and I'm just not certain what a 5k C3 should be like. I checked pricing on CL and in the C3 cars for sale and 5k seems to be in the ballpark by the pics I have seen.

The car as 100,400 miles, L48 auto. Here are the pics he sent, hopefully it is good indicator.

Thanks,

60 SHARK

$5k is the high end I would give for the red one in your pics, ,,just picked up a 77 w/53kmi, 95%,original, for $4500. and got about 250mi on it now and can't find a thing wrong with it,, not shiney, but a really great solid car, ( silver ext, red int,)

crawfish333

You need to see some pictures of the frame and if possible the bird cage. before you commit. That thing looks pretty ragged out, and he may be showing you only the pictures he wants you to see.

Bloodzone

I would pass even if it was 12 mins away. Keep looking

Paul L

And I would not even show those pics. That car is in pretty poor condition.

Bills17n72

if the inside looks like that ,im sure he didnt take care of the drivetrain either !!

Robert Thomas

All of those fuses on the seat are what cops call evidence. Tracing wires under the dash and in the console is not fun.

C3 4ME

I'd have to agree, that car looks pretty rough.

Alan 71

Hi A,
Your Mitsubishi (?) might be difficult to sell on it's own at this point but the few pictures you posted seem to show a pretty needy Corvette.
IF the REST of the car is as rough as the interior appears to be you'll likely be putting a good bit of time and money into it before it's much of a car again.
Are you prepared to go from the fire into the pan?
Regards,
Alan

AMRAAM

Hmmm... OK. Disappointing.Thanks guys. I thought the exterior looked pretty decent. Interior did seem ragged a bit also, but I'm just not sure what is normal for the year

doorgunner

Rookie here: No engine bay pics makes me concerned.

AMRAAM

Yep, the mitsus are a hard sell these days. I've been wanting to get out of that platform and thought this might be a decent way to move on without having to sell the cars for a loss(I have a couple of projects still).

I probably have between 3k to 4k in my car.

He seemed to beleve the car was in great shape other than the interior. I did ask about the fuses, but havne't heard back yet

tomvr

I've gotta agree even though I HATE computers and the vette wouldn't have any!! The fuses on the seat would scare me enough to stay away from it. Well cared for vettes have enough ground issues...I can only imagine what this one may hold!!

Sunstroked

Here is my concern. Snow, mud and a corvette. Mud and dirt get kicked up into the frame, water from snow and rain just sit there on the moist dirt. Creating a rust bucket. Its ugly as sin on the interior anyway. Bet its ugly where it really matters.

AMRAAM

He says he got it on a trade of some sort so he supposedly hasn't had it long. I don't think that mud and snow is necessarily indicative of where it wsa parked most of it's life

Scottd

Something else to keep in mind is that Vette is going to feel like a tugboat compared to your 3000. I know you already stated you know this...but you dont really grasp how bad they are. Late 70's Vettes were horribly under powered. I know, its a vette, how slow can it be, right?

The average 4 cylinder car today puts out more horsepower than a late 70's small block. So, take a wheezy 4 cylinder and drop it into a car that has 40 year old suspension engineering.

All Im saying is prepare for a huge disappointment in the performance area.

That car (the red vette) is an absolute roach, by the way. Good luck in your search for another Vette!

ignatz

I have to wonder what STP product is sitting in the passenger compartment in the first picture. More evidence?

Sunstroked

Having lived in MI for the first 30 yrs of my life, Im well aware of what dirt and moisture from rain and snow did to my vehicles. Even my Camaro which I owned for 12 yrs and never drove during the winter months, except the first 2 yrs before it under went a pretty extensive restoration, was a constant battle to keeping it rust free. C3 Corvettes have hidden areas that will rust. Ive since lived in the deep S and desert SW parts of the country. Even these vehicles can have dirt kicked up in the frame, moisture from washing the car or rain can just fester in the frame channel and create rust. I guarantee that car has issues u dont want to deal with.

AMRAAM

lol..Yeah, I'm tracking the sluggishness of the later C3s and the 195 HP L48. I'm not really looking for a performance replacement of my 3000, just thought it would be a fun car. I have other engine options as well I could do if I wanted to.

AMRAAM

Good catch. Honestly it looks to me like an oil filter box