Want To Buy A Vette For Dad for Father's Day... Would Love Any Tips
05-13-2016, 01:45 PM
#1
Want To Buy A Vette For Dad for Father's Day... Would Love Any Tips
Hi all,
I've been lurking here for a few days, and it looks like a cool, active group, so I hope you don't mind me asking for some advice.
My Dad recently retired, and I want to buy him a classic Corvette for father's day. I was a huge screwup until my late twenties, and the first ten years of my career was a string of embarassing failures. But thanks to my Dad's support, I made it through, figured things out, and finally became very successful. So while he deserves much more than a car, I know it's been his dream to own one of these, so I thought it'd be a great start.
Specifically, I'm looking for a '57 - '61. I live in Venice Beach, and my parents are living in Solvang, but I suppose I'd buy a car from anywhere that could ship it.
I've done a fair amount of research on the subject - "how to buy a classic corvette" turned up a lot of useful info on Google. So... I'm about to begin my search in earnest.
It looks like Mike's Corvette, and Chequered Flag, are both nearby, fairly reputable, and have inventory that matches what I'm looking for. I've also been scouring eBay.
With that all said, if anyone has any other advice, in the form of...
- important questions to ask of the sellers
- buy from a dealer vs. private?
- typical "gotchas" to look out for
- other places I might want to look for cars
...that'd be hugely appreciated! I've been dreaming of this for a few years now, and I'm excited to take the leap.
Thanks!
Jonathan
I've been lurking here for a few days, and it looks like a cool, active group, so I hope you don't mind me asking for some advice.
My Dad recently retired, and I want to buy him a classic Corvette for father's day. I was a huge screwup until my late twenties, and the first ten years of my career was a string of embarassing failures. But thanks to my Dad's support, I made it through, figured things out, and finally became very successful. So while he deserves much more than a car, I know it's been his dream to own one of these, so I thought it'd be a great start.
Specifically, I'm looking for a '57 - '61. I live in Venice Beach, and my parents are living in Solvang, but I suppose I'd buy a car from anywhere that could ship it.
I've done a fair amount of research on the subject - "how to buy a classic corvette" turned up a lot of useful info on Google. So... I'm about to begin my search in earnest.
It looks like Mike's Corvette, and Chequered Flag, are both nearby, fairly reputable, and have inventory that matches what I'm looking for. I've also been scouring eBay.
With that all said, if anyone has any other advice, in the form of...
- important questions to ask of the sellers
- buy from a dealer vs. private?
- typical "gotchas" to look out for
- other places I might want to look for cars
...that'd be hugely appreciated! I've been dreaming of this for a few years now, and I'm excited to take the leap.
Thanks!
Jonathan
05-13-2016, 07:15 PM
#2
If you have a chance, get down to San Diego this Sunday and check out Plastic Fantastic at Seaport Village. Not only will you see just about every year of vette there is, you will see many that are for sale. You can speak directly to the owners of these cars and they could really help you in making the right decision when it comes to purchasing a C1. Not sure what budget you are expecting but I would not be surprised at 75-100k+ if you are looking for a quality car.
Last edited by -HAIRBALL-; 05-13-2016 at 07:16 PM.
The following users liked this post:
jonathant7 (05-13-2016)
05-13-2016, 07:46 PM
#3
If you have a chance, get down to San Diego this Sunday and check out Plastic Fantastic at Seaport Village. Not only will you see just about every year of vette there is, you will see many that are for sale. You can speak directly to the owners of these cars and they could really help you in making the right decision when it comes to purchasing a C1. Not sure what budget you are expecting but I would not be surprised at 75-100k+ if you are looking for a quality car.
05-13-2016, 10:21 PM
#4
Le Mans Master
If you go to Corvette Mike's in Anaheim, make sure you also check out West Coast Corvettes. They are about a mile or two from each other and both always have a nice selection of classic Corvette's.
A good son and a surfer? Nice. I am paddling out at trail 6 this weekend
A good son and a surfer? Nice. I am paddling out at trail 6 this weekend
Last edited by HBsurfer; 05-13-2016 at 10:22 PM.
05-13-2016, 11:52 PM
#5
Melting Slicks
My long lost son!! 
just kidding and all.
What a cool thing to do. Personally, I have never heard anything good about Corvette Mike. There were numerous posts about that place over the years here. Most likely you will over pay.
The idea for Plastic Fantastic is a really a good one if you have time to do that. You will learn a lot from Vette owners first hand.
It really comes down to how much you want to spend. Buying a numbers matching car will up the cost quite a bit.
Are you looking for an original looking C1 or something more customized?. aka resto mod?
Best of luck on your find.
just kidding and all. What a cool thing to do. Personally, I have never heard anything good about Corvette Mike. There were numerous posts about that place over the years here. Most likely you will over pay.
The idea for Plastic Fantastic is a really a good one if you have time to do that. You will learn a lot from Vette owners first hand.
It really comes down to how much you want to spend. Buying a numbers matching car will up the cost quite a bit.
Are you looking for an original looking C1 or something more customized?. aka resto mod?
Best of luck on your find.
05-17-2016, 02:28 AM
#6
Drifting
June 5th, at the LA County fairgrounds in Pomona, CA, there is a huge swap meet where many Corvettes park in one area reserved just for them. Usually a lot show up from all the series and many are for sale. I've found the owners great to talk to and most all "speak Corvette".
You are a great son!
You are a great son!
06-01-2016, 10:38 AM
#8
Team Owner
Member Since: Oct 2004
Location: altered state
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St. Jude Donor '05
With that era vette you can get more car for the money if stuff isnt # matching. That stuff is really hard to prove, some dont really know, others fake stuff. Car doesnt know the difference drives the same.
x2 on Pomona swap meet lots to choose from. Take your time there are tons of these cars out there.
Buying from a long time owner is usually a good sign
x2 on Pomona swap meet lots to choose from. Take your time there are tons of these cars out there.
Buying from a long time owner is usually a good sign
Last edited by cv67; 06-01-2016 at 10:38 AM.
06-04-2016, 08:45 PM
#9
Safety Car
Not to pry, but how much do you want to spend. A classic C1 can be very cool, but it is very much old technology. What has become very popular are restomod C1s or C2s that have modern running gear under a completely rebuilt and reupholstered body. Here you are easily in the mid 100's if not mid 200's but you get the looks of the C1 plus a modern chassis, modern suspension, modern engine, good gas mileage and complete redone interior and exterior. Also the prices for very well done examples from the major players were down $50-70,000 at Barrett Jackson in January. So it is becoming a buyer's market.
There is a guy in Kansas that builds a couple a year as well as a fellow on Oahu. (Corvette Center Hawaii might get google to his site). Check out his Special Projects tab and you will get an idea of what kind of build I am talking about. My buddy owns special project #33 which is a 54 Restomod.
This is the type of thing you end up with:
There is a guy in Kansas that builds a couple a year as well as a fellow on Oahu. (Corvette Center Hawaii might get google to his site). Check out his Special Projects tab and you will get an idea of what kind of build I am talking about. My buddy owns special project #33 which is a 54 Restomod.
This is the type of thing you end up with:
