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NCRS top flight quality for that price? I guess I should keep looking because that's not what I'm seeing. I'm seeing coupes for 20k and higher that are far from NCRS top flight quality on sites like collector car trader, ebay, etc. The best coupe I've seen for approximately that price is the red one Rick Church had posted a couple of months ago here on the forum. It is a beautiful car and seems to fall into the price range everyone is saying...however that's only one car. Most everything else i've seen online is more expensive and lesser quality. Now whether or not they're selling for those prices is another story...I don't know.
The prices in the magazine article posted above seem to be more consistent with the prices I'm seeing cars out there listed for.....which is quite a bit higher than what people are saying the real market prices are. So i guess i'll keep loooking
Just as an example, I just went to look at a '72 coupe (base 350 engine, #matching vehicle) that had a buy it now price of 19K on ebay. It happened to be local so i went to take a look. It needed a lot of work IMO....interior needed a good amount of work, paint was fresh but with about a 8-10'' touch up section that was the wrong color, frame had some rust holes and some undercoating painted all over it..looked questionable to me. Wiper door stayed open, wrong shifter, no radio, started her up and tach wasn't working (not sure about other guages, didn't get that far)....etc, etc. The auction closed at 13K with reserve not met and I wouldn't have paid anything close to that.
NCRS top flite doesnt neccesarily mean spit shined everything replated frame-off Barret-Jackson rebuilt.
It means an all original, all number matching, complete working car in very good condition. According to my NCRS guide it can slightly dirty but not filthy and can have some surface rust on certain pieces.
I could have bought a '71? coupe for less than $20 that was an NCRS quality survivor. The only problem...War Bonnet Yellow with a green interior. That same car would have brought another $5K...easily, if it were red/black. Hell, I would have paid another $5K if it were red/black.
I looked for over 3 years for a '68-'72 Big block 4 speed convert. all original, numbers matching blah blah blah... I missed some nice cars and I am glad I slept on some others cause when I saw this girl I bought her no questions asked. She's a '70 350-350hp 4speed t-top numbers matching with newer paint. For under 20k. The previous owner had her for 35 years. He was a GM mechanic by trade and loved his corvette. He kept it pristine. She's no trailer queen either. I waited for a honey, I studied, researched. I test drove cars. I drove my wife NUTS. But when I saw her I knew and bought her no questions asked.
Good luck with your quest. When you find the right one you'll know it
I looked for over 3 years for a '68-'72 Big block 4 speed convert. all original, numbers matching blah blah blah... I missed some nice cars and I am glad I slept on some others cause when I saw this girl I bought her no questions asked. She's a '70 350-350hp 4speed t-top numbers matching with newer paint. For under 20k. The previous owner had her for 35 years. He was a GM mechanic by trade and loved his corvette. He kept it pristine. She's no trailer queen either. I waited for a honey, I studied, researched. I test drove cars. I drove my wife NUTS. But when I saw her I knew and bought her no questions asked.
Good luck with your quest. When you find the right one you'll know it
Buy a 73 and use the 6-7 thousand you saved( over a compareable 68-72) to make it pristine, and wait for it to go up in value while you drive it. I am biased though.