I am looking for some advice. I found a nice 77 vette locally. It is at the local vette shop on consignment. 350 auto, 47K miles, everything original, matching#. Nice body with some crows feet. Interior is excellent. There is basically no rust from what I could see, I had them take the t-tops off and checked them over and they looked clean as well as the frame. The vaccum lines all looked good as well. They pulled the car forward so they could start it up, and there was a little spot of tranny fluid\oil - 3" X 4". Any concerns about that?

The big problem is that it is white and I really want a black or red one, so I am thinking about painting it. I really like the fact that it is a local car, always stored indoors (no fading or cracking in interior). I am a little worried about buying a car off the net without being able to see it and having a mechanic check it over for me.

He is asking $14,900. What do you guys think, price seems a little high to me and my body guy. What about painting it a different color, pros -cons. Am I better off waiting and getting the color I want? Any words of wisdom would be great. I have never owned a vette, so I do not have any background and need all the help I can get.

TIA

Bob

 

That's a lot for a 77.

 

What do you think would be a good price?

 

that's high... i paid 5,000 for mine and it needed paint/interior..... unless it's a body off restore/redone items, that's high

try 8,000-9,000

b

 

What documentation can the seller provide to you that guarantees 47 thousand miles? Looking the car over good does it look to you that the milage is true? To me its kind of a high price to turn around and deviate from the originalness of the car by painting it black. There are lots of vettes out there for sale. You might want to even check the for sale on this forum. Are you planning on using this as a weekend driver or a daily driver? If you are in anorthern state you have to look real good for rust maybe asking the owner to remove both kick panels to look inside. si

 

At that price the 77 needs to be a show car. If you want to know what it is worth just figure what it would take to get it to show condition. You can start with paint at an easy $5-6000.

You saw no rust. Did you look in front of the rear wheels where the frame kicks up? How about the windshield frame? Did you remove the kick panels and look at the lower portion of the bordcage?

What you must remember is that a Corvette is fiberglass and it doesn't rust where you can see it. The metal frame under the fiberglass is what rusts. You need to do some searches on this forum and several other Corvette forums to get an idea of what to look for.

If this 30 year old car truly had 47,000 miles not 147,000 or 247,000 it should really look it. Is the engine original? Have you checked the numbers on the engine and tranny to see if they are original to the car? There are a lot of factors to consider when paying $14,000 for a 30 year old car. What do you want in the car? A show car? A driver? A fun car to play with? A winter project to hone your mechanical skills? Do your homework on this forum and others before you leap.

 

I have said before that I would not buy a car without seeing it but if you do ask youself this, does the interior satisfy you as is? Would the engine, tranny, and other mechanicals satisfy you as is?
If it is that nice then you may be ok at that price but a color change paintjob along with your original costs will have you over 20K. That will buy a pretty nice car.

 

I did not look under the car, but I did check the frame around the windshield and it was good. It is certified 47Kmiles, I saw the title. I did not see the numbers on the engine, but I bought the C3 Buyers Guide book and from what I can tell it is original. I will go back and get the numbers and verify, but I am pretty sure they are original.

We live in rural South Dakota and that is where the car is from. I talked to our local body shop and he said a good paint job would cost $3K. I trust him, he has done a lot of work for me and the past and I have been very happy with it. He has a lot of experience painting sports cars. Some of the cars he has done have won national awards.

So I guess I am asking again, what would be a fair price for this car. Here is the link to the car:
http://www.autabuy.com/Vehicles/Details.cfm?VID=70222

 

Great to see you are interested in owning a Corvette. There are 16 or so 1977 Corvettes on EBAY right now, and a couple black ones. For starters numbers match is an overused term, with it mainly applying to the earlier cars that are "fakeable". The 1977 is not faked often because there isn't much desirability difference between an L-48 or an L-82 engine. The 1977 is desirable as a driver or basis for a personalized car to most. If you want to pay for the car because its close and you know it well, thats fine. Just compare the selling prices for the week of the 77's on ebay to see where it will fall. Most cars on ebay are buy it now at around 10K. At the price offered you can wait and see. Remember that this is your car, and it should be what you want. If you dream after a specific year, then pursue that year with a trained eye. If you don't have one yet, ask for help on the boards and maybe somone local can help.

I think that the white red is a classic corvette color like the 53's and should be left as is, but I'm a purist of sorts. There are plenty of black ones, and adventure awaits you if you make a fun nationwide search for a car. Local cars are good for buying low and selling high somewhere else...

All the best

 

I do want the 77 model, last year for that body style and the year I graduated high school, I have been eyeing them ever since. The kids are all out of the house now, so its my turn! I guess I really like the idea of buying local. I plan on taking it to a mechanic so he can give it the once over.

I want it for a weekend driver car, not into the shows (not yet anyway!) Just looking for something to putter around with onthe weekends.

 

Assuming from the add the person selling the car is not the owner? I would ask to speak to the owner the verify documentation. Find out where the car has been kept all its life. Definately take it to a mechanic that knows corvettes. Also you mentioned a transmission leak. That would not be uncommon for an original car but I would make the owner have a local transmission shop reseal the transmission. Remember you are paying a premium price for a car and the more you can get the owner to do for you the less money you will have to put out of your pocket again. I am like you I liked the 77 because it was last year of the production and for me I got out of the military that year. The pictures of the car it appears to look pretty sharp. It is an early production 77 indicated by the key alarm on the drivers fender. Its too bad it dont have the sport mirrors. Good luck if you car work out a deal.

 

That price is outrageous. Wait a while and if they really want to sell it you should get it for half that. Or, look elsewhere.

 

I paid 8,500 for a '77 back in 1984, and I paid 8,500 for another '77 two years ago. You too can find a good one for less than 9k. There are a lot around.

BTW, mine is white...for now.

Good Luck.

Dave

 

That price is awful high. 47,000 miles may not sound like much but you're looking at a car that's 30 years old and odds are that those aren't easy miles. Things like suspension bushings, trailing arm bearings, differential yokes, numerous engine items, and as you already found, the transmission, may very well need some serious time and money thrown at them. 15K is a lot of money for any 77. Even if all of those items have been serviced recently (with receipts to prove it) along with a new engine I'd be skiddish.
That's just my opinion. Hopefully you'll find a better deal on a local car soon.

 

think about this:

$14,900 buying price
$ 4,000 paint price
======
$18,900 plus whatever else you find on the way.

You could buy TWO nice '77s for that price.

I've seen this scenario many times: I've found this 19xx Corvette a block away from me. It is overpriced, not what I want, needs more money dumped in it, but I need you to tell me - should I buy it?

 

a paint job for a 77 will run at least 5,000 if done right and not just a spray over...... all the paint would have to be stripped down if it's the original paint.......

www.craigslist.com has some good deals also...plus you can find local

b

 

Take these guys advice. Take your time and look. There are plenty out there for a lot less. Plus you will find what you WANT and not have to settle. I looked for the car I wanted for almost 3 years.
Don't settle and you will be much happier when your driving your new Vette!!!

 

I received this from someone on the list, what do you guys think about it. It is red, so I will not have to repaint it!:

I bought the car about 6yrs ago and have been working on it ever since off and on. The motor has been rebuilt stock with a small cam then I put a Scroggins Dicky vortec head kit (vortec heads, edelbrock intake) new edelbrock carb. The transmission is new stage II from Bow Tie Overdrive. 700r4 with a 2200 stall convertor . I put a fiberglass spring in the rear. Had the rear swing arms sent to Eklers to be rebuilt. All the front end has been rebuilt. Had the body media blasted before painting and saw no signs of wreakage. The birdcage is good. New compressor on AC and it is cold. All new power steering. (pump,lines, valves) . New brass radiator with Zirgo electric fan. New brakes and calipers. New 100 amp altinator.New exhaust headers that have been Jet Hot coated. New cruise control servo and transducer. New seat covers and door panels. All new tail lamps and emblems. Too many little things to list. What it needs depends on if you want a daily driver or a trailer queen. I built this up to be a daily driver. I suspect in the neighborhood of 300 hp. with a bigger cam and some jetting it could come close to 400hp. The interior is nice but nowwhere near show quality. Upper dash has two small cracks, carpet fair but needs replaced , interior roof panels fair but slightly warped from age. Needs a new set of tires. Need new gas line from tank to fuel pump. I do not want to oversell this car, I have looked at many cars and the owner said how good they were over the phone but when seeing them was disappointed. This is a nice car mechanically and visually but it is still 25 years old. The 700r4 trans was ment to be computer operated as anyone who has installed one will tell you but it still operates well. Weather you buy this one or any other always check out the birdcage, frame just in front of rear tires and swing arms. I cannot get out what I have invested but would like to get 15k. Check out any other and run the cost to get it mechanically sound and upgraded. You will see this is not a bad buy. I have all the original parts that go with the car (trans,heads,intake,etc) plus more.

 

I am assuming that it is an 81 from what they said a 25 year old car? It sounds like the guy has done a lot of work on the car. Not keen on media blasting it does damage the glass hopefully he meant soda blasting which is easier on the glass. Carpet will cost you a couple of hundred dollars. The dash will cost you around $300 dollars. Roof panels over $100 dollars. What makes him think he needs a new fuel line from tank to front? That will cost some money. I dont know for sure but I thought the 81 corvette had a computer which would lock up the convertor on the transmission. This car could also be a money pit and you would be spending just as much as the original 77 you were looking at. In my opinion you need to slow down and don't let the money burn a hole in your pocket and get a car you won't be happy with or have to work on more than driving. There are lots of corvettes for sale out there wait on the one fits you. good luck on your search.

 

ebay list of 1977 Corvettes

And to see what they have sold for:

Completed sales of 1977 Corvettes

Be wary of ones people have as running projects. You waste a lot of time figuring out what they did. If it isn't complete, running, and ready as they have modified it, you can spend far too much time fixing things they "fixed" or finding why something isn't working when it may be simple.

There are no Haynes manuals for a car someone modified.