Ron R

Sorry man, no way. There is no way that's a 12,000 mile car ... if you fully trust the person you're buying it from, then HE was swindled by the first owner. This is not a 20,000 KM car ... it's a 120,000 KM car.

120,000 KM would be about 74,500 miles, and this car looks to be in the exact same condition as about a dozen or so other 75k mile cars I've looked at over the years that were stored outside in northern states. My 81 (which is also a Canadian car) looked about like that at 80,000 miles. Cost me about $17,000 to get that car back up to spec, not counting the $4,400 I paid for it, and I still couldn't sell it for what I have in it today.

The only way this is a 12,000 mile car is if it was parked in a swamp since 1982. I would bet one of my vettes on it. Think about this man, the fact that pretty much everyone here says there is no way this is a 12,000 mile car, plus the fact that you can get one in much better shape for the same or a little more money, I'm surprised you're even still considering it. The truth in the matter is that it doesn't really matter how many miles are on it, since even if it WAS a true 12,000 mile car it obviously isn't helping the value any. I can see at least $3,000 worth of work to be done just from these pics, between the oil leaking all over the top of the motor, bushings, misc. rusted parts that need to be replaced, it's probably due for a valve job, and that whole exhaust system has to go. You're going to have $12,000 in it before you even take it to the paint shop ... why bother with that when for the same $12,000 or less you could buy one that needed absolutely nothing?

sixxgunn13

thx,

I'm new to all this Vette stuff.. I only know what he's telling me.
again I'll really look to see my options.

And I am listening to you guys.

well I'll have to discuss this w/the boss.

pbcanney

it doesnt look like a bad deal
but it doesnt look like a car driven less than 8000 miles per year either
Its not that we dont want you to get an incredible deal, rather we dont want you to think you got something that doesnt add up

this exhaust pipe looks like 100k pipe to me


and why does it have dunlops? Is that what Canadian 80's came with ?

disclaimer: (I'm not an expert, I didnt join in 2000)


edit: oops! 800 not 8000

sixxgunn13

thx,

I'll ask why the exhaust is so rusty...
I'll find out more.
and about the tires I'm not sure?

Tall Boy

The inside looks decent, and if it was cleaned up the rest of the car would not look bad.
L 82 car with straight bumpers, $4000, not bad. If you do all the work yourself it could be a decent price. $3000 and lots of effort on your part could make for a nice ride.

New bushings, repair vacuum leaks, clean off the rust and paint and you should have a good start.

sixxgunn13

thx tall boy,

I will be doing as much as I can, I know i have a long road ahead of me but its what I want... Much love for vettes.

I just want a nice head turner...

All my friends have IMPORTS...
I like Muscle!

blk79nj

Based on the pictures, I think this is a good deal. I've seen much worse for more money.

sixxgunn13

Oh I forgot my Wife gave me a $2000 budget to play with...

so i'll do my best to stretch my $$

red topless gator

Go for it................LT

1980 blue L48

My opinion is this to C3 buyers,If you are a mechanic,with a decent garage. And you connot afford $12-15k for a good one. Then choice #2 would be buy one for $6-8k that needs little work. $4000 vettes are either worn out, or stolen. I paid $7700 for an 80,000 1980 auto L48and thought i got a good deal on ,A beautiful looking 20 footer, rust free car.After a closer look I had to replace the radiator support $440 genuine GM, only rusted piece on it. Then the radiator $250,The original was repaired it leaked again.Then camshaft went flat $280, the crank had .040 end play $250. Front Control arm bushings needed replaced at the time. Best to do with motor out! Also replaced 2 leaking brake calipers $200. Any way I have over $12,000 in it with no Labor Cost, only my time. I would say its worth $8-$9 maybe. If I could Do Over. I would read THE CORVETTE FORUM for several months then take an expert with you shopping. At Least Raise it on a lift and look it over real good.

Tall Boy

Not everyone can afford a 8-9 thousand dollar car, but it looks like a nice $4000 car, that he could clean up and drive during warm months, and work on during cold wet months. That is what I have been doing with mine. I replaced and rebiult alot of things on mine for 2400 dollars, front windshield, rebiult the brakes, rebiult the front end, rebuilt the power steering, all the vacuum lines, rebuilt the head lights, replaced all broken trim inside, side window fix and and a couple small things, rebuilt my rad support also.
I don't now what I have in it now but I do have all the receipts. Has not been bad if you spend some here and some there.

Hvymtlc5

4k doesn't sound bad to me. Car looks decent enough. Just check the rust areas the guys mentioned. Some of us have to start out small and work our "hobbies" up to a better class/condition as we come into the $$$. THen again, you have to be careful about the Corvette rich guys that are fanatics and wouldn't buy a pristine car if they knew it had sat outside, been in the rain ,or heaven forbid, been thru a car wash.... .

Good Luck!

AllC34Me

Well just for the record, here is my 77 with 21K miles on it and the engine compartment that goes with it. Perfect, no, but a bit nicer than the 80 you are looking at for sure. Is that salt spray on the engine?
If you decide to buy her then welcome to the club.

Ron R

If you can't afford an 8-9 thousand dollar car, then you can't afford $4,000-$5,000 worth of repairs and paint on a $4,000 car either.

That's why I say if you only have $4k it's better to put that $4k down and finance the difference on a "needs nothing" car than to buy the $4k car and spend the next several months/years fixing things a little at a time. When you do it that way there will always be SOMETHING that needs to be fixed, so your car is either sitting or not the way you want it. If you were to finance $4,000 on an $8,000 car your payment would be like $100 a month ... that's a lot less than you're going to pay fixing up a rust bucket.

There are two types of Corvette owners ... those of us who like to drive a car the way we want it, and those of us who would ONE DAY like to drive a car the way we want it. You gotta decide which one you want to be. In most cases the $4,000 vette is the most expensive one. Can this one we're talking about be fixed up? Possibly ... it looks like it has plenty of life left in it providing the bird cage isn't all rusted. Just needs some work. My point wasn't that it can't be a great car, it's that the cost of MAKING IT a great car from that condition will be greater than the cost of just buying one that needs nothing. The OP is going to do what he wants to do, and I suspect he's going to buy this car in spite of the fact that the odometer isn't accurate and it's going to cost a few G's to fix up just from what we can see in the pics, not counting the paint. And that's OK, it's his money ... I'm just saying why spend $12,000 on a $4,000 car when you can spend $12,000 on a $12,000 car, you know?

sixxgunn13

Hey Guys ,

Thx for all your input... Yes, all signs point to me buying the Vette but I still have to check the hidden mounts.

I think the issue w/the Odometer caused all the tension in this post...Legit or not.
again I got great observation from members on what to look for.

And if I do decide to go ahead and buy it, at least I am aware of the cost to get it road ready, around here in my area Vette's are going for 12-14K for c3's

so heck I'll try to do it this way... get it running for the summer and then work on it in the winter.
AND save up for cosmetics later on!

And Ron R, I totally appreciate your input, you obviously have knowledge and exp w/vettes that I don't have, I do get your point.

Tall Boy

He has good input and knowledge, and my input my not be the best. I am the kind of vette owner that would never buy the perfect hobby car becuase some of the fun for me is fixxing the car up(make it my own).
For best value and less time with a wrench you probably will be best off with his advice, but it sounds like you already made your mind up before your first post.
Good luck

Tall Boy

I was just thinking, if you are looking for best bang for the buck, you might look for a C5. They are good cars and you can get them for around 12-18k.

sixxgunn13

Hey Tallboy,

thx for the kind words...

C3's are all i like..

I'll post pics of the hidden mounts, and i'd like to thank Runningman for his help as well

RunningMan373

Your welcome. those are the two keys that can doom a 'vette, from the start- Frame (it will need to go on a lift for a thorough inspection) and birdcage mounts. Other than that, pretty much everything else can be fixed / or lived with. Those cannot, practically.

KENS80V

I've had my 1980 Corvette for 25 yrs now. I'm local to you (Oakbank) and would be willing to show you all that I've learned over the past 25yrs of ownership. My car is currently undergoing a body off restoration. I can point out all the problem areas to you.