I plan on visiting ProTeam Corvette in Napoleon Ohio over the holidays and look at the inventory

1. Any comments about experiences dealing with this group?

2, What are the critical "flaws" that I should be aware of in purchasing a '68/'69 driver?

 

Never been to Proteam so cannot speak from experience there.

It is hard to tell from your post if you have been around the vette hobby much but I will assume you know something about the "numbers matching" concept with corvettes. Whether you like it or not alot of the cars value can be attributed to how correct the numbers are. My point here is to make sure you do not pay "matching number" prices if that is not what you are buying. Lots of people do not care if the numbers match on your car but lots of people DO care. If you do not know much about this subject then research it before you buy or take an experienced corvette person with you to help out.

Having just spent 3 years sorting out my 71 I (and lots of other people will too) can tell you to check the frame and bird cage very carefully. The frame can rust anywhere but it happens commonly at the forward edge of the rear wheelwell. There is an inspection panel on the forward surface of the rear wheelwell that can be removed for inspection. There should not be any rust through (holes) in the frame or even deep pitting. Light surface rust is not too bad but none is better. The bird cage is the metal frame that the windshield rests in.
It extends down the interior edge of the doorjamb. Check the doorjamb area (where the door hinges bolt on) and the lower windshield corners carefully. Look at the VIN plate area for surface rust. You can remove the interior kick panels and interior pilar trim for additional viewing. If you see rust flakes falling down onto the carpet or rust in any of these areas I would be reluctant to buy the car without alot of further inspection. These things can all be repaired but are time consuming and $$$.

There are lots of other things to look for but in my experience these are the big "gotchas".

Speaking from experience.

Best of luck
Neil


Good Luck

 

bring money.......lots of money..they have what you want and they know what they have .they have researched there cars and they are real proud of what they have ,so they are not bashfull about what they charge .have not bought a car from them but i think they would stand behind what they sell ,tell them what you want they will get it for you .you should go look any way ,any time you have that many vettes in one place its a good time .

 

Treat a dealer just like you would anybody else. I have heard stories from people that thought because they were getting a car from a Vette dealer that it was better then it really was. They are in the business of selling cars, you need to make sure it is in the condition you expect.

 

You better know your cars, and numbers real well, and know how to spot a counterfeit....that's all I'm going to say.

 

My parents bought a 1960 from them 15 years ago. Good expierience, fair price and a solid car. Based on that experience, my wife and I purchased a 69 roadster from there two years ago. Again, good expierience, fair price and a solid car. However, I did spend a half hour on my back with a flash light looking at everything before buying. I think the sales guy we had thought I was nuts. Oh well.

 

they are just a used car dealer that sells high end corvettes, and are well known for forging cars.

 

They are said to have built more 427/435 Corvettes than Chevrolet!

 

 

now I don't care who you are, that's FUNNY!

A friend of mine bought a 1965 from them, it wasnt cheap but was very nice.

 

They have nice cars and some not so nice cars....in either case they ask $TOP$ dollar for them.

If your not familiar with vettes I would ask if someone here or on the NCRS board to go with you. www.ncrs.org

Good Luck

 

buddy of mine sold them his car 1969 427 convertible 60,000 miles. He had work done to the car engine rebuild, paint, brakes, put side pipes on. Sold them the car for 26,000. Week later it was on their web site for 49,000. Took the side pipes off. Only mod they did as far as we were able to tell. Oh yeah, His bird cage also had bit of rust.

 

buddy of mine sold them his car 1969 427 convertible 60,000 miles. He had work done to the car engine rebuild, paint, brakes, put side pipes on. Sold them the car for 26,000. Week later it was on their web site for 49,000. Took the side pipes off. Only mod they did as far as we were able to tell. Oh yeah, His bird cage also had bit of rust.

 

I'm sure that managing every vette-lover's expectation is a challenge for any dealer....but a reputation is built over time with multiple data points. Although I've owned a C4 & a C5 and cruised the forum for a couple of years, this is my first posting and I am impressed with the candid comments and speed of response from the members. Thanks to all. I will keep you posted about my Shark Hunt.

 

Welcome to the forum. This is agreat place to get answers to most any question. People are great here.
Re: ProTeam
Be extremely careful and know exactly what you are looking for. I have read MANY unfavorable things about this dealer over a period of 25 years or more including when Terry ran it under his own name. It was called Terry Michaelis Corvettes and went bankrupt. Many negative stories about them especially how cars were docotored to look like something other than they really were. I'm sure they have some really nice cars but you better know what you are looking at and be able to tell the real mccoy from a doctored up version.
Like someone else said on here, and I have read this same comment many times over the years, "They sell more big block cars than GM ever built"
Good luck and be careful

 

I don't have much to add, but before you buy anything post all the details on the forum. You would be amazed at how many knowlegable people are here.

Also, ANY dealer whether ethical or not is going to charge alot more than the car is worth. Dealers can also play dumb when it comes to the true condition of the car. A private seller might just be honest with you about any problems.

It's also considered wise to buy the best car you can possibly afford. It costs a fortunes to restore them.

Private seller will often run out of patients when they are trying to sell their car. They may ask $30,000 but when it's been two months and they still haven't sold it, they may be willint to significantly drop the price if you have cash in hand. When my uncle buys classic cars he goes woth a suitcase full of money and lowballs them. When he shows then the cash, they sell. A dealer would never give in so easily.

And I must repeat DO NOT BUY WITHOUT POSTING HERE FIRST

Good luck finding one of the most beautifull cars in the world

~Jay