C3 Purchase
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Jun 2007
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From: Inside Hoover Dam NV-AZ
St Jude Donor '14
C3 Purchase
I recently sold my C4 due to the fact that I want a C3.......I hear they are easier to work on...
I have found a 1979 C3 White with blue int....She tells me the car is in immaculate shape,(i'm going to look at it sat), with the exception of a blown rod.......I know the cost of a long block, and the work involved on a car that has been sitting for 7 years......but she only wants $2,500 for the car, and told me it has been covered in her garage the whole time. Is there any issues with 1979 that I should be aware of? 
The car has always been in vegas so rust should not be an issue.....and from what I've seen of C3's for sale (project cars), This one sounds like a good deal.....
I have found a 1979 C3 White with blue int....She tells me the car is in immaculate shape,(i'm going to look at it sat), with the exception of a blown rod.......I know the cost of a long block, and the work involved on a car that has been sitting for 7 years......but she only wants $2,500 for the car, and told me it has been covered in her garage the whole time. Is there any issues with 1979 that I should be aware of? The car has always been in vegas so rust should not be an issue.....and from what I've seen of C3's for sale (project cars), This one sounds like a good deal.....
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 37,637
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From: Crossville TN
You are taking a lot of risk buying a non-starting car that has [reportedly] sat for several years. Since you can start/drive the car, you can't check out any of the operating systems: transmission, steering, brakes, A/C system, etc. etc. If it were me and I thought it might pan out, maybe I would spend $1500-2000 for that car. You have to consider it a "parts car" since you can't really check its operating features. If the paint job is really as nice as indicated (and that's likely NOT the case) and you are going to do most of the work....maybe up to $2500.
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 4,309
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From: Inside Hoover Dam NV-AZ
St Jude Donor '14
Yeah i kinda thought of the whole "parts car concept", and she swears the exterior & interior are immaculate....(we'll see), I was going to offer her $1,200-$1,500 tops. I will be doing all of the work myself....I figured on replacing most rubber materials and all seals.......cuz I'm sure they are rotted...
Advanced
Joined: Feb 2008
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From: Decatur Alabama
Any vehicle that has been sitting may have issues with rust in the gas tank and fuel lines (which would have to be replaced), as well as leaks caused by seals that may be old, dry & cracked. Just from past experience on our classic cars - we have picked up vehicles for a good or fair price, and spent $2,000 to $4,000 just to get in good running order. Both C3 Vettes, '80 & '81, we have had needed transmission work which costs $800 for a complete overhaul.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 1,164
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From: Port Clinton Ohio
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13
If it is clean as she says, I don't think $2500 is too bad. You could easilly part it out and get your money back if necessary. Of course I would try to haggle and get the best price possible but I would have a hard time passing it up.
I sold a '74 a couple of months ago that was next to a house that burned down. It had lots of damage from the heat and the motor was shot. I sold it for $2700.
I picked up a GM performance parts 330hp 350 long block a couple of weeks ago from Summit for $2515 just to give you an idea of what a motor would cost.
I would check the frame carefully for rust, remove some of the inside trim around the windshield, and remove the kick pannels inside the car (near the floor in front of the doors) to check for rust.
If you do buy it, the first thing I would do is replace all of the calipers with stainless steel lined ones. The original ones always leak.
Good Luck.
I sold a '74 a couple of months ago that was next to a house that burned down. It had lots of damage from the heat and the motor was shot. I sold it for $2700.
I picked up a GM performance parts 330hp 350 long block a couple of weeks ago from Summit for $2515 just to give you an idea of what a motor would cost.
I would check the frame carefully for rust, remove some of the inside trim around the windshield, and remove the kick pannels inside the car (near the floor in front of the doors) to check for rust.
If you do buy it, the first thing I would do is replace all of the calipers with stainless steel lined ones. The original ones always leak.
Good Luck.
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2007
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Melting Slicks
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From: St. Louis Mo
Safety Car
Joined: Dec 2004
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From: Jersey Shore Exit 98
Yeah i kinda thought of the whole "parts car concept", and she swears the exterior & interior are immaculate....(we'll see), I was going to offer her $1,200-$1,500 tops. I will be doing all of the work myself....I figured on replacing most rubber materials and all seals.......cuz I'm sure they are rotted...
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 4,812
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From: New Albany IN
St. Jude Donor '03-'04-'06-'08-'09
Any vehicle that has been sitting may have issues with rust in the gas tank and fuel lines (which would have to be replaced), as well as leaks caused by seals that may be old, dry & cracked. Just from past experience on our classic cars - we have picked up vehicles for a good or fair price, and spent $2,000 to $4,000 just to get in good running order. Both C3 Vettes, '80 & '81, we have had needed transmission work which costs $800 for a complete overhaul.
Roger that...I am replacing my gas tank as we speak. My '71 has been sitting for nearly 5 years. It had a glass fuel filter in it and it was even rusted INSIDE of it.
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2006
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From: Crossville TN
As JIMS79 states, "If it's in the shape described...." That's a big IF when you can't start the engine and/or drive the car. My assumption would be that the major systems are in terrible shape -- or they would have been fixed to sell. The engine damage is apparent, but the seller could use that as a smokescreen to "hide" the fact that there are major problems elsewhere. The seller should "eat" that loss....not the buyer.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 1,198
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From: staten island new york
St. Jude Donor '10
be cautious be very very cautious. blown rod could mean its got even more problems than she even knows about. plus it sitting for 7 years. i just dont know, i'm on the fence with this one. on one hand if the paint and interior are mint and i mean mint! and all other rubber isnt dryrotted to sh*t being in vegas. if it was in the garage the whole time it might not be too bad. on the other hand it could have been abused,beat on, you could be looking at tranny rear and god only knows what else. good luck $2500 might seem good now but $10,000 later might not seem as such a good deal
Drifting
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 1,572
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From: Wichita Kansas
In that dry climate I would expect that car would be in the shape see has described it in fact it was stored inside and covered. Others avery correct that you may have tank and break problems. A new tank is under $300 and in most cases any C3 you buy may need new brakes. You already know it needs an engine.
You could start a parts list(engine, brakes, fuel system and power steering system) based on some of the input from this thread and that will give you an idea of cost to value.
Go Look and Good Luck
CF JASOC Member
Joined: Feb 2006
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From: Downtown Annapolis, MD. The Future is where we all have to live. Let's not screw it up.
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2006
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From: Crossville TN
You will have to be the 'judge' of the buyer's honesty when you meet face-to-face. Offer $1500 and gauge the reaction; if she's disappointed by that offer [but not angry or upset], it might be just as she described. Inquire about how much she has actually driven the car and how it ran at that time, and look it over carefully for rust and indications of being poorly maintained (prior to the storage period). Then, dicker more, if you want, and see what happens. It sounds promising....but don't get so excited by it that you don't make objective assessments. {Pretend that you are doing this for a good friend; we are more cautious for our friends than we are for ourselves.}
Instructor
Joined: May 1999
Posts: 207
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From: Norman , OK
DO NOT BUY this car. I just got done running an ad in the Vegas paper looking for a 79 Corvette with a ruined engine, $2500 to spend cash! Wait a week or so and then go look for it, I mean at it.....
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 4,309
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From: Inside Hoover Dam NV-AZ
St Jude Donor '14
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 872
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From: Cortlandt Manor New York
Go look at it. Condition will tell you a whole lot about the car. If it is an AZ car rust should not be an issue but check anyway it may have spent its early years in the rust belt and the damage was done early.
If it is as described it is a good deal. Yes it will need some work, brakes, and other miscellaneous items but that is the case for most of these 30 year old cars. Cosmetics(paint and interior)are important and expensive items you should not have to worry about. If it looks good as it sounds - buy it and have some fun with it.
If it is as described it is a good deal. Yes it will need some work, brakes, and other miscellaneous items but that is the case for most of these 30 year old cars. Cosmetics(paint and interior)are important and expensive items you should not have to worry about. If it looks good as it sounds - buy it and have some fun with it.
Pro
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 528
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From: Grand Rapids Michigan
$2500 is a good price for a clean interior, serviceable paint 79. Put in a crate motor with an overdrive trans, bleed the brake system thoroughly, flush or replace the gas tank and drive your car for under 10K. Your car will end up being worth about 10k. Ask all these guys what they spent on their cars vs. what they're worth.
Try for $2,000 and you're that much farther ahead. If it is in the shape she says, this is a no brainer.
Try for $2,000 and you're that much farther ahead. If it is in the shape she says, this is a no brainer.