Not exactly a newbie; have a '96 LT1 and a '16 Convertible. But am a newbie with the C2. I want to buy a C2 Coupe at the lower end of the price scale...not a $150,000 "one of a kind"....

My question is that I am not familiar with the issues inherent with the C2 and need some advice as to what I should look for. Over the years, I've heard rumors of the C2 frames showing cracks, and other things like that, but never concerned myself with those things.....until now.

So, I'm grateful for any and all advice or tips, especially any scams that I'll likely encounter as I go shopping for this car.

Thanks

 

Hi, I just went through a search for the perfect C2 for me and I will share with you some of my thoughts.

First off, the fact that you don’t want a $150K show car is a good thing. It will save you a lot of grief.

Next, you have to decide if you want a “numbers matching” car or not. If you don’t that is a lot better. There are a lot of scams related to numbers matching and you will pay a lot of money for it. Also with a “numbers matching”, generally, you will be getting a car that is not as fun to drive as a non numbers matching car that has been “tweaked”. So this is a threshold question of what you are looking for—but that is a very personal decision.

The best value out there IMHO is if you want a non numbers matching car that somebody has built to be a great driver and put a lot of effort into modernizing it. You should probably be able to get that car for around $60K but you will have to wait and be pretty picky.

Alternatively, you could get a car that needs a lot of restoration work for around $40K but you will spend more than $20K to get it to a car that will ultimately be worth not much more than $60K (but it would also be a lot of fun to get there).

For all cars you have to worry about frame damage/rust and bird cage rust. You also don’t want a car that has been in an accident. So you should get a PPI from a professional that knows about these issues no matter which way you go.

Other things you should think about: (1) air conditioning is a big deal. It can be added later but it is $5K and then is not “numbers matching”. (2) what engine do you want. If you go to a modern crate engine it is very reliable but not numbers matching. If you go old school do you want a big block or a small block and what HP and torque do you want. (3) same for the transmission—manual, automatic, 2, 3 4, or 5 speed. (4) do you want manual steering or power (IMHO I love power and a small steering wheel—really changes the drivability of the car and getting in and out), (5) do you want power brakes or is manual ok (same answer for me as in (4), (6) are you going to be happy with the original suspension and 15” tires and wheels or do you want something better in the 17, 18, 19 inch range which means that you want a new frame (not necessary in my opinion if you just want a cruiser and it will definitely drive up the price).

It really all depends on what you want, your energy level and your pocket book. There are attributes to barn finds, daily drivers, numbers matching and full out showroom resto mods.

Personally, if I could find a non numbers matching, original frame and body car with a modern engine and running gear and fully restored for $60K that would be my Unicorn.

But I could not find my Unicorn so I settled for a fully restored numbers matching that I am tearing apart and deleting all of the numbers matching. But that is just me and everybody has different goals and it really depends on what you want to end up with as the “perfect car”. You have to realize you are not likely to find that perfect car for sale and you will have to compromise and then change it to become the perfect car for you. But that is also a lot of fun. Just figure out what gets you as close as possible to your goal and start there (whether it be price, condition, options, etc.)

 

Moving to General Discussion.

 

If you study the C2s for sale in the Cars For Sale /Wanted forum you will learn a lot about what to look for.
I just skimmed through and saw a couple sharp looking 67 coupes for sale now. Many of the boxes that I want are checked with both these cars.
Unfortunately neither one is near you. But read the ads and learn about important details.
You can't do much better than a 67 AC 350hp coupe. Few owners and last one is long term.
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...condition.html

And this beauty up in the Finger lakes area. Van Bortels is a new car dealer, but they also handle sharp local cars that they have a knack for finding.
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...an-bortel.html

If you want the most value for your money, buy a 67 coupe, Ideally with AC and 350 hp, limited owners, mostly unmolested.
Good luck in your search,

 

Thanks to both of you for the info. Getting up to speed very quickly and have a checklist already started. Have to say, after looking at 2-3 dozen cars, the maroon coupe at Van Bortel looks very nice!

Again, Thank you for your help....it is appreciated.

Fred

 

[QUOTE=RonCL55;1600319192]Hi, I just went through a search for the perfect C2 for me and I will share with you some of my thoughts.

First off, the fact that you don’t want a $150K show car is a good thing. It will save you a lot of grief.

Next, you have to decide if you want a “numbers matching” car or not. If you don’t that is a lot better. There are a lot of scams related to numbers matching and you will pay a lot of money for it. Also with a “numbers matching”, generally, you will be getting a car that is not as fun to drive as a non numbers matching car that has been “tweaked”. So this is a threshold question of what you are looking for—but that is a very personal decision.

The best value out there IMHO is if you want a non numbers matching car that somebody has built to be a great driver and put a lot of effort into modernizing it. You should probably be able to get that car for around $60K but you will have to wait and be pretty picky.

Alternatively, you could get a car that needs a lot of restoration work for around $40K but you will spend more than $20K to get it to a car that will ultimately be worth not much more than $60K (but it would also be a lot of fun to get there).

For all cars you have to worry about frame damage/rust and bird cage rust. You also don’t want a car that has been in an accident. So you should get a PPI from a professional that knows about these issues no matter which way you go.

Other things you should think about: (1) air conditioning is a big deal. It can be added later but it is $5K and then is not “numbers matching”. (2) what engine do you want. If you go to a modern crate engine it is very reliable but not numbers matching. If you go old school do you want a big block or a small block and what HP and torque do you want. (3) same for the transmission—manual, automatic, 2, 3 4, or 5 speed. (4) do you want manual steering or power (IMHO I love power and a small steering wheel—really changes the drivability of the car and getting in and out), (5) do you want power brakes or is manual ok (same answer for me as in (4), (6) are you going to be happy with the original suspension and 15” tires and wheels or do you want something better in the 17, 18, 19 inch range which means that you want a new frame (not necessary in my opinion if you just want a cruiser and it will definitely drive up the price).

It really all depends on what you want, your energy level and your pocket book. There are attributes to barn finds, daily drivers, numbers matching and full out showroom resto mods.

Personally, if I could find a non numbers matching, original frame and body car with a modern engine and running gear and fully restored for $60K that would be my Unicorn.

But I could not find my Unicorn so I settled for a fully restored numbers matching that I am tearing apart and deleting all of the numbers matching. But that is just me and everybody has different goals and it really depends on what you want to end up with as the “perfect car”. You have to realize you are not likely to find that perfect car for sale and you will have to compromise and then change it to become the perfect car for you. But that is also a lot of fun. Just figure out what gets you as close as possible to your goal and start there (whether it be price, condition, options, etc.)[

[b]Those may have been your goals but I disagree with a lot of what you have said here.
Numbers matching means little unless the car can be PROVEN to have a born with engine. Fe-stamps have been around for over 40 years. So take them with a grain of salt.
A/C is not as big a deal as you make it out to be. Most of these cars are "fair weather" driven. Adding A/C is more like $2K NOT $5K.
Larger wheels and tires do NOT require a new frame, There are plenty of them here on the forum with original frames and larger ones.

Below are several cars currently for sale here on the forum under $68K and MANY much more under. I only went 1/2 way down the 1st page. It just depends on what the OP wants and it is a pretty good selection.


https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...nvertible.html

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...g-numbers.html

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...-corvette.html

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...le-nor-ca.html

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...coupe-65k.html

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...60-000-il.html

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...ter-fs-ma.html

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...condition.html

 

Nice job!

The OP asks about scams and I mention the “numbers matching” issue and you disagree but your explanation seems to affirm there are scams related to numbers matching (which of course there are). I say AC can cost $5k and you say $2k (which of course is closer to the parts cost, not the installed cost). I ask if he wants the original suspension and 15” tires and or a better suspension and bigger wheels and tires (that would be facilitated by a new frame but which I also say is not necessary for a nice cruiser) and you “disagree” and say a new frame is not necessary. I tell the OP he should be able to get a nice car for $60k. You disagree and 6 of the 8 cars you list as examples are OVER $60K. I was making general statements about lots of potential choices and said it all depends on what the OP wants and you disagreed and said it all depends on what the OP wants. Too bad that we disagree on so many things!

 

Matching numbers has little to do with the price of the car until you get into hippo/more valuable cars and what you failed to warn about (as I did) that is when you have to be careful.
A complete Vintage A/C unit for a C2 is $1400. Including shipping and about $600. to install- $2k.
You don’t NEED a new frame for upgraded suspension and there are many examples of that here on the forum, they are for restomod with modern engines, steering and WIDER tires.
The cars I linked to are a varying range as examples for the OP to get ideas from and they are ASKING prices.
I too believe you can find a “good “car for $60k and often with a proven “born with” engine unless you are looking for a hippo.

 

I got my Vintage Air A/C kit for about $1250 through a group buy and installed it myself, local installation by a pro is right around $1,000.

Numbers matching ? I no longer know what that means; but "born with" parts sure do make a difference in price; and it doesn't have to be a 63 Z06 for that to be true...

To my thinking, if a car has its original frame no matter how many other do-dads are included, its not a restmod, its just a hot-rodded/upgraded original. Just my opinion and others here from what I gather...

65hihp gave some strong examples to consider in his prior post, even if they are distant from you an inspector can look them over. My two vintage Corvettes both involved airplane rides for me to look them over.

 

Limiting your search to cars in your general vicinity would be a big mistake. I bought my ‘64 coupe personally sight unseen (it was in Dallas, I was in San Antonio). I asked a local CF member to go take a look. He was not an expert by any means, but he verified owner claims and even took his borescope camera and shot video of the inside birdcage and frame. I used his feedback to negotiate a price based on both the condition of the car and my intended purpose. The car was complete, but tired with non-original paint, interior and drive train. Most important to me, it was completely rust free although it had a minor rear end hit in its past (bent the flimsy rear crossmember down slightly).

What is important is to match your expected use to your vehicle search search and use all available resources to validate what you are buying is what you need. Good luck!

 

There is a video on the C-3 side of the forum that lists 10 things to look for when purchasing a Corvette. It specifically addresses C-3 cars, but most of it applies to C-2s. It is worth a watch. I added a VA system to my 66 coupe. As Frankie said, it cost about $1,250. I installed it myself and it was not all that complicated. The only extra cost involved was the purchase of R-134A. The vacuum pump was a free rental at Auto Zone. If and when you are ready to make the decision to install an AC system, download the instructions from the VA website and see if it's something you want to tackle on your own. Lastly, please do thorough research before you jump. Good luck. Jerry

 

You should be able to find a driver for $40/45k that represents a car that isn’t perfect but looks good and has been maintained. A car that you wouldn’t be afraid to drive anywhere but also doesn’t need restored.

$60k is a number these days that means a run of the mill small block car better have some interesting colors and options or be a slightly older restoration of an original-appearing engine car that someone needs to unload.

 

I should have added that I spent about another $200 on parts for a factory A/C 63 just to clean up the "look" in the engine bay. The Vintage Air supplied brackets looked sort of "shade tree" and I didn't like them.. Not necessary but that's how I roll.

 

TOTALLY!

 

I suggest to look at 1964s. They are usually the best value for the dollar, all else being equal. And having owned many, they are terrific driving cars with lots of charm and attraction.

 

100%. There are some opinions, expressed here from time to time, that the '64's usually are the best "value", especially the coupe model. You get all the look & feel of the C2's, but you won't get disc brakes, or side pipes, or some other refinements, However, because of those "missing" items, the prices are generally lower than the other mid-years.