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For those who like a horror story and get rankled by crooks, I went to look at this 69 coupe for and with my college roommate, decent nom driver asking $16,500. I wouldn’t even let my buddy test drive it.
The guy has renewed his CL ad and is shamelessly calling this Roadworthy. I haven’t flagged it, but I’m tempted to!!!
I looked at a '68 Conv several years ago, advertised as all really nice, etc. $25K asking price...
The only thing holding the frame together was the rust, big thick, 1/4" thick rust flakes. Plus hidden body damage, some of which wasn't so hidden and starting to poke through. The rear spring and differential looked like it had been in Truk lagoon since 1944.
The guy accused me of being dealer because the first thing I did was crawl under the car before looking at anything else. i didn't bother to look at anything else.
I looked at a '68 Conv several years ago, advertised as all really nice, etc. $25K asking price...
The only thing holding the frame together was the rust, big thick, 1/4" thick rust flakes. Plus hidden body damage, some of which wasn't so hidden and starting to poke through. The rear spring and differential looked like it had been in Truk lagoon since 1944.
The guy accused me of being dealer because the first thing I did was crawl under the car before looking at anything else. i didn't bother to look at anything else.
Doug
its amazing what people will say.
My friend is the the father of two young twins and I’ve got two littles as well. If I hadn’t been there he said he’d have bought it- truly a tragedy in waiting. Angers me Doug.
When the guy started it the voltage never went below 16 either!
The guy accused me of being dealer because the first thing I did was crawl under the car before looking at anything else. i didn't bother to look at anything else.
Doug
Sellers get funny when they are trying to hide something and it looks like somebody knows their stuff. Benton, you should have told the seller to take it out for a test drive - all by himself! "Roadworthy" my a$$!
Not a Corvette, but I'll tell it anyway. Years ago the railroad I was with was considering buying a locomotive from a fly-by-night outfit in another state. They told our guy all sorts of nice stuff over the phone, sent pics of how good it was.
Finally we had our mechanical guy go down to look at it, which they didn't sound keen about when we set it up. When he got there, there was a large and very disagreeable dog tied to the locomotive on a real long lead. No matter which way he tried to approach the engine to inspect it, the dog came growling and barking. When he asked to have the dog removed, the sellers said well, that's his run, he's used to being there, no place else to put him.
Our guy got in his car and left. I think eventually the loco got scrapped, but we sure never bought it! Never heard what it was they didn't want discovered, but it must have been bad!
My car was inspected by a NCRS type before I traveled to see it. I took the car to an oil change shop and spent almost an hour under the car and sent frame pictures from underneath to a C2 expert/friend. Normal surface rust condition for an unrestored car in the critical. kickup areas, no rust thrus anywhere visible from below. When we pulled the body the top of frame kickup forward ~18" gone. If I ever inspect another C2 or C3 will have a borescope type inspection camera and mirrors.
It was a northern car early in it's life so presume salt/road dirt accumulated on top of the frame and just ate downward. More shocked by the discovery and safety risk than the financial consequence. Inspect the top of the frame not just the usual problem areas visible from below.
These cars are so old you have to make sure the bones are good first otherwise why bother. Lipstick is just that...
Buyers do it too....Had 2 guys try and accuse me of selling them a truck with a bad head gasket (mine)....it was the ac dripping (which they knew). Sometimes they get pissed when you know somehting.
Of course they still wanted the "broken' truck...for the right price haha.
These cars are so old you have to make sure the bones are good first otherwise why bother. Lipstick is just that...
Buyers do it too....Had 2 guys try and accuse me of selling them a truck with a bad head gasket (mine)....it was the ac dripping (which they knew). Sometimes they get pissed when you know somehting.
Of course they still wanted the "broken' truck...for the right price haha.
That sounds familiar! I once had a potential buyer try to talk me down on price by claiming that the condensation drip was my water pump weep hole dripping and being ready to fail. He got po’d at me when I took a paper towel, wiped under the pump, and it came up dry (if a little dirty)!
At that point I told him the price just went up $500 due to “attitude adjustment”. I sold it the next day for asking price to a different buyer!
Looked at a 70 LT1 in 1980 in mass in a storage locker. Car looked mint and only 6 grand. . My fellow corvette friend was a Corvette shopper and very petite for his age, he grabbed out of his pocket a awl and proceeded to crawl under the car with out it being jacked off the ground. He came back with a piece of rust that just floor me. Did not buy that one,. Same thing happen in 1981 on my oldest boys birthday i received a call a older man wanted to sell his 1965 fuelie. He did not want to meet me at his home but at Lord&Taylors arich womans store in west hartford ct. He said some one might steal the car if they knew were it was parked at night at his home. He wanted $6,500.00 but it only had the fenders with fuel injection on them and no motor. The best car i ever bought was at night at a Dairy Queen in Portland CT a steel blue coup and later bought the guys roadster with build dates the same week. After 1982 cars were limited and scarce and so over priced and a best buy only by word of mouth!
Another rusty frame-
