Sean Dunshee

I know I am going to take a lot of flack for my opinion but here it is....It depends on how nice the car is for a "survivor". I have seen a bunch of REALLY nice survivor cars on here, and I have seen some that are called "survivor" because the owner can't afford to restore it. Last year at Barrett Jackson ( I think) there was a 63 split window, I think it was a fuelly car and the paint was cracked and sun beaten SO bad you could see about 70% primer and about 30% paint...but they were selling it as a "survivor". Didn't look like it "survived" much to me. To me if its a survivor car and it looks great from 20 ft keep it a survivor..if it looks like a turd from 20 ft for gods sake restore it....it isn't a survivor, its just a turd that needs restored. As far as value for resale (resale being the key word here) and everything being equal...I will take a restored car any day of the week. You have to remember that the people who will appreciate it being a survivor are out numbered 20:1 when it comes to selling....but it only takes 1 person too. But I like the odds being on my side. But do any of us really buy these cars with resale in mind???

SBR

Sean, I agree with a lot of what you are saying. I have seen a lot of cars that were partially restored and have since been unrestored LOL so that it can be a Survivor or Benchmark certified. I could have bought a really original 67 435 conv. but the condition was like the 63 that you described so I passed on the car because I did not want to be the guy who restored that car. As far as which I prefer, while they both have their strenghts I would take a great original car over a restored one because a great original car cannot be built, only found so the supply is fixed JMHO.

Ironcross

Choice of a 40+ year old original with cracked and chipped paint that happens to all of them unless you believe the lies about its history as opposed to a well maintained low mileage Vette with a straight body and clean autorama type paint. In the first place you would probably agree there are not too many left in any condition. But within a year on mine I opted to clean up all those factory rough body imperfections and half assed paint that was originally applied and re-paint its block sanded body or get kidded by, "did you crash it already" by my fraternity brothers. Ok its not original, but it also doesn`t look like it came down the line. You would have to own one of these suckers from the get go to actually be aware how really bad they were. These so called barn find originals will clean up but the wavy bodys only got worse over time and the paint was better out of a rattle can. So you clean them up, straighten the body, put a good quality paint job on and its no longer original. Mine WAS original years ago and it looked like hell. If you see a straight body and painted Vette called an original, I would first think ......

I think this paint is just over 20 if I recall correctly. The original factory paint was redone a few weeks after delivery as the brown primer showed through...Apparently the factory painter had a bad back and couldn`t bend over to paint the sides....Oh i just recalled another issue. It was missing one of its FI emblems too...you would not want this thing in its original condition. I know I didn`t......

61 Silver

Ray