Are these guys flippin nuts?
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 126
Likes: 0
Are these guys flippin nuts?
Been looking for a nice 79-81 and it seems to me that most owners of nice ones are just testing the water and hoping for a newbi, wanna be, vette owner to pony up the cash without doing any research. Geesh, some of these guys think they have chrome bumper cars and think "what recession". Guess I'll just wait till some of them are starving in the winter.
I don't say this to be derogatory and I know THEY own the car but man, most of them want 3K-6K more than it's worth at this stage of the game. Anybody else get this feeling also.
Please don't jump on me, it's just what I seem to be finding or maybe I'm misinformed about the values in these hard times.
I don't say this to be derogatory and I know THEY own the car but man, most of them want 3K-6K more than it's worth at this stage of the game. Anybody else get this feeling also.
Please don't jump on me, it's just what I seem to be finding or maybe I'm misinformed about the values in these hard times.
Pro
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 707
Likes: 31
From: Pitman NJ
Acually, the sellers are not nuts. It's not a big deal if you can't agree on a price. Perhaps you are too low, and they are too high, so the price should be somewhere in the middle.
Maybe they are not really 'for sale', but a 'this is what I will take to part with it' price.
Don't worry, the car you want will show up. As far a the 'Recession', I think it depends on what region of the country you live in.
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 37,637
Likes: 3,118
From: Crossville TN
The last time I checked there was no requirement for a car owner to price it so that a potential buyer would be pleasantly surprised. I would always set an advertised price higher than what I'm willing to accept....and, I think, so would you. 
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 1999
Posts: 65,492
Likes: 230
From: Orange Park Florida
Well, first off, you need know the condition of the car, and with any 30+++ year old car the # UNO enemy is of course RUST, so if that birdcage is toast, that car is worth nearly nothing....
if you need a frame, that is 1/2 price right off the bat.....
IMO, the birdcage is prime problem area.....
after that we get into other areas.....paint can be a PIA too, and interior trim/insulation/weatherstriping is not cheep either....
SO, if you want a project to kill time with....fine, but you want a car that has it all intact and serviceable.....get off the bux....
BUT, you gotta know more than the owner of that car when you make the deal....
SO time to get smarter than the average bear....
if you need a frame, that is 1/2 price right off the bat.....
IMO, the birdcage is prime problem area.....
after that we get into other areas.....paint can be a PIA too, and interior trim/insulation/weatherstriping is not cheep either....
SO, if you want a project to kill time with....fine, but you want a car that has it all intact and serviceable.....get off the bux....
BUT, you gotta know more than the owner of that car when you make the deal....
SO time to get smarter than the average bear....
Heel & Toe
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 16
Likes: 0
From: Clarksville Tennessee
My nickel,
You can see and buy worn, high mileage $7000.00 '79-'81 Corvettes most days of the week on ebay and the peddler. Then you have to spend $4000.00 to $7000.00 on a new interior, motor work, brakes, suspension, electrics and maybe a cheap paint job. Or you can spend the money up front and get one ready to roll looking good. I went the worn out route and rebuilt the car myself. Am I going to sell the car for $7000.00 because that's what everyone sees them for on ebay?
Buy a junker and fix it, or pay the price to someone who did.
My car speaks for itself, If I was selling (I'm not) $15,000.00 minimum.
Bigevil
You can see and buy worn, high mileage $7000.00 '79-'81 Corvettes most days of the week on ebay and the peddler. Then you have to spend $4000.00 to $7000.00 on a new interior, motor work, brakes, suspension, electrics and maybe a cheap paint job. Or you can spend the money up front and get one ready to roll looking good. I went the worn out route and rebuilt the car myself. Am I going to sell the car for $7000.00 because that's what everyone sees them for on ebay?
Buy a junker and fix it, or pay the price to someone who did.
My car speaks for itself, If I was selling (I'm not) $15,000.00 minimum.
Bigevil
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 1,006
Likes: 28
From: Lutz Florida
Been looking for a nice 79-81 and it seems to me that most owners of nice ones are just testing the water and hoping for a newbi, wanna be, vette owner to pony up the cash without doing any research. Geesh, some of these guys think they have chrome bumper cars and think "what recession". Guess I'll just wait till some of them are starving in the winter.
I don't say this to be derogatory and I know THEY own the car but man, most of them want 3K-6K more than it's worth at this stage of the game. Anybody else get this feeling also.
Please don't jump on me, it's just what I seem to be finding or maybe I'm misinformed about the values in these hard times.
I don't say this to be derogatory and I know THEY own the car but man, most of them want 3K-6K more than it's worth at this stage of the game. Anybody else get this feeling also.
Please don't jump on me, it's just what I seem to be finding or maybe I'm misinformed about the values in these hard times.
You can always make an offer. The worst you can hear will be a no. You'll never know unless you make the offer.
There was another thread here about "selling ettiquite" and some buyers were worried about the having seller think they were cheap or whatever. As long as your offer was reasonable and made in good faith who cares what the seller thinks? It just business. I have sold cars, houses, etc. over the years and have received some rediculously low offers at times from people that were "trolling" to see if they could pick up a bargain. I didn't go off on them, just laughed and made light of it and said no thanks. It's not a big deal.
If you see one you want, make em an offer.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 126
Likes: 0
What someone wants for a car and what they are willing to take are often two different things.
You can always make an offer. The worst you can hear will be a no. You'll never know unless you make the offer.
There was another thread here about "selling ettiquite" and some buyers were worried about the having seller think they were cheap or whatever. As long as your offer was reasonable and made in good faith who cares what the seller thinks? It just business. I have sold cars, houses, etc. over the years and have received some rediculously low offers at times from people that were "trolling" to see if they could pick up a bargain. I didn't go off on them, just laughed and made light of it and said no thanks. It's not a big deal.
If you see one you want, make em an offer.
You can always make an offer. The worst you can hear will be a no. You'll never know unless you make the offer.
There was another thread here about "selling ettiquite" and some buyers were worried about the having seller think they were cheap or whatever. As long as your offer was reasonable and made in good faith who cares what the seller thinks? It just business. I have sold cars, houses, etc. over the years and have received some rediculously low offers at times from people that were "trolling" to see if they could pick up a bargain. I didn't go off on them, just laughed and made light of it and said no thanks. It's not a big deal.
If you see one you want, make em an offer.
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Drifting
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 1,697
Likes: 3
From: Woodinville WA
Here is how it works for 78-82 Corvettes... You find an average car for the average price of $6-8k, then put $4-5k into it to make it "nice". (nice = fixing all of the broken items that should have been working to give it its initial value of $6-8k)
Then you create a post asking what it is worth. People reply that it is worth about $6-8k. This is when all the complaining about chrome bumper snobs and no one appreciating 78-82 starts...can't find a nice one for less than $15k, wouldn't sell mine for less than $20k, etc.
If you buy at $6-8k and put $4-5K into it, it doesn't magically attain a value equal to more than was has been put into the car, or even equal to what has been spent. You can typically consider yourself lucky if you get back $.50 to the dollar you spend.
Buy what you want/can afford. Don't add up what you spend and think the value of the car is equal to its purchase price in addition to what was spent on it. I would not consider this an investment... it is more of an entertainment expense.
Then you create a post asking what it is worth. People reply that it is worth about $6-8k. This is when all the complaining about chrome bumper snobs and no one appreciating 78-82 starts...can't find a nice one for less than $15k, wouldn't sell mine for less than $20k, etc.
If you buy at $6-8k and put $4-5K into it, it doesn't magically attain a value equal to more than was has been put into the car, or even equal to what has been spent. You can typically consider yourself lucky if you get back $.50 to the dollar you spend.
Buy what you want/can afford. Don't add up what you spend and think the value of the car is equal to its purchase price in addition to what was spent on it. I would not consider this an investment... it is more of an entertainment expense.
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 1999
Posts: 26,545
Likes: 46
From: Huntersville NC
If you are buying you will mostly find sellers looking for a sucker who will overpay for their car.
If you are selling you will mostly find buyers looking to steal a car from a desperate seller.
That is the way of the world.
If you are selling you will mostly find buyers looking to steal a car from a desperate seller.
That is the way of the world.
Racer
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 469
Likes: 0
From: Tallinn (Estonia)
I think those are cars which have three prices - project car state, average state and absolutely perfect. The last state could be probably more than the chrome bumpers go in average states in most cases, but even when you have one small item wrong, the value is still back at "average car".
Burning Brakes
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 1,223
Likes: 4
From: Regina Saskatchewan
Been looking for a nice 79-81 and it seems to me that most owners of nice ones are just testing the water and hoping for a newbi, wanna be, vette owner to pony up the cash without doing any research. Geesh, some of these guys think they have chrome bumper cars and think "what recession". Guess I'll just wait till some of them are starving in the winter.
I don't say this to be derogatory and I know THEY own the car but man, most of them want 3K-6K more than it's worth at this stage of the game. Anybody else get this feeling also.
Please don't jump on me, it's just what I seem to be finding or maybe I'm misinformed about the values in these hard times.
I don't say this to be derogatory and I know THEY own the car but man, most of them want 3K-6K more than it's worth at this stage of the game. Anybody else get this feeling also.
Please don't jump on me, it's just what I seem to be finding or maybe I'm misinformed about the values in these hard times.
I've chummed with a buddy since we were 21 yrs old. Now we're both over 50 . He's been spouting the same story about 'over priced used Corvettes'. They're always $2 G or $3 G too much. How many $7G C2s we looked at, then $11G C2s then $18G C2s......etc. He'd always phone back and low ball 'em too! **** 'em right off. When my '79 came up for sale - my buddy almost had a heart attack that I didn't low ball them first. Well he's still waiting for the $18G mint C2 Corvette. I'm driving a mint '79.
Last edited by couperdecar; Jul 27, 2009 at 05:27 PM.
Burning Brakes
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 1,232
Likes: 6
From: Tucson AZ
St. Jude Donor '12
Keep your chin up Boatdoc. I searched a while until I finally found a $3000 77 in a between project and average state(I could drive it, motor was new, but it needed paint and upholstry).
Bought from a young guy who was having trouble selling it because it had lots of "issues" and was oooGLY. I was looking for a fixer upper, so this was perfect.
Eventually the $3-6K over folks get motivated for one reason or other too - you just need to be around when that happens. Also, consider being willing to travel over a few states for that deal.
Bought from a young guy who was having trouble selling it because it had lots of "issues" and was oooGLY. I was looking for a fixer upper, so this was perfect.
Eventually the $3-6K over folks get motivated for one reason or other too - you just need to be around when that happens. Also, consider being willing to travel over a few states for that deal.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 2,821
Likes: 204
From: Lincoln CA
As I've observed in the past, this is more of a buyer's forum than a seller's forum. Guys here are always talking about how high C3 prices are and how little C3s are worth. Somebody has to advocate for C3s and, if not us, who? Everyone here says the pricing guides are ridiculously high and asking prices are astronomical where ever they look. Maybe that's the market, huh?
Oh yeah. "80-82s are worth more than chrome bumpers in my mind anyway"? Why the gratuituous slap at bumper cars?
Oh yeah. "80-82s are worth more than chrome bumpers in my mind anyway"? Why the gratuituous slap at bumper cars?
Last edited by RagTop69; Jul 27, 2009 at 07:02 PM.
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 1,924
Likes: 6
Been looking for a nice 79-81 and it seems to me that most owners of nice ones are just testing the water and hoping for a newbi, wanna be, vette owner to pony up the cash without doing any research. Geesh, some of these guys think they have chrome bumper cars and think "what recession". Guess I'll just wait till some of them are starving in the winter.
I don't say this to be derogatory and I know THEY own the car but man, most of them want 3K-6K more than it's worth at this stage of the game. Anybody else get this feeling also.
Please don't jump on me, it's just what I seem to be finding or maybe I'm misinformed about the values in these hard times.
I don't say this to be derogatory and I know THEY own the car but man, most of them want 3K-6K more than it's worth at this stage of the game. Anybody else get this feeling also.
Please don't jump on me, it's just what I seem to be finding or maybe I'm misinformed about the values in these hard times.
At what point in time did you conclude that these were econoboxes that people are trying to dump to buy food?!?
You're singing to the wrong choir here. Try the miata/scion groups.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 126
Likes: 0
[QUOTE=pbcanney;1570935461]OH OH THE ECONOMY IS DOWN! WHAT DO I DO! I KNOW! I'LL SELL MY CORVETTE FOR PENNIES ON THE DOLLAR!!
At what point in time did you conclude that these were econoboxes that people are trying to dump to buy food?!?
You're singing to the wrong choir here. Try the miata/scion groups. [/QUOT
I don't sing to any choir. I ask politely not to get jumped on and look what you do, both feet. I have owned vettes for years, just not a C3. Now I'd like to find a nice one and YOU give me this crap.
I didn't ask for a car for pennies on the dollar. All I and others ask is why do most think these cars are made of gold. Yes an owner can put any price they would like on it but the minute a serious buyer looks at the price and the REAL piece of junk they're trying to sell do they think we're nuts. There isn't any C3 that's worth what some of the jokers are asking.
I try to join your era and you give me this. Maybe you need to join the Miata/Scion group and learn some manners from those kids, they obviously have more than you.
At what point in time did you conclude that these were econoboxes that people are trying to dump to buy food?!?
You're singing to the wrong choir here. Try the miata/scion groups. [/QUOT
I don't sing to any choir. I ask politely not to get jumped on and look what you do, both feet. I have owned vettes for years, just not a C3. Now I'd like to find a nice one and YOU give me this crap.
I didn't ask for a car for pennies on the dollar. All I and others ask is why do most think these cars are made of gold. Yes an owner can put any price they would like on it but the minute a serious buyer looks at the price and the REAL piece of junk they're trying to sell do they think we're nuts. There isn't any C3 that's worth what some of the jokers are asking.
I try to join your era and you give me this. Maybe you need to join the Miata/Scion group and learn some manners from those kids, they obviously have more than you.
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 1,924
Likes: 6
I don't sing to any choir. I ask politely not to get jumped on and look what you do, both feet. I have owned vettes for years, just not a C3. Now I'd like to find a nice one and YOU give me this crap.
I didn't ask for a car for pennies on the dollar. All I and others ask is why do most think these cars are made of gold. Yes an owner can put any price they would like on it but the minute a serious buyer looks at the price and the REAL piece of junk they're trying to sell do they think we're nuts. There isn't any C3 that's worth what some of the jokers are asking.
I try to join your era and you give me this. Maybe you need to join the Miata/Scion group and learn some manners from those kids, they obviously have more than you.
I didn't ask for a car for pennies on the dollar. All I and others ask is why do most think these cars are made of gold. Yes an owner can put any price they would like on it but the minute a serious buyer looks at the price and the REAL piece of junk they're trying to sell do they think we're nuts. There isn't any C3 that's worth what some of the jokers are asking.
I try to join your era and you give me this. Maybe you need to join the Miata/Scion group and learn some manners from those kids, they obviously have more than you.
awwwwww did I hurt your feelings??? geeeeeeee how about if I sell you my '81 for $100... no.. $50 plus free shipping to your door. I only have around 12k invested so far. send me your delivery address and I'll get it right out to you.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 2,336
Likes: 1
From: North Bellmore Ny
St. Jude Donor '09
I can see where some of the guys are comming from on the almost mint cars. It took me 2 years of searching countless hours of looking at ads (internet/newspaper) and going to see about 300 cars. If I were to sell my car I will be asking alot more than what its worth. Some may have built the car from the ground up, spent hours of labor and searching for "NOS" parts. These guys often ask alot more too. I find that cars that have been enjoyed kept clean had more than a few owners and need TLC will sell at a fair price.
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 37,637
Likes: 3,118
From: Crossville TN
Not everyone is a 'hard' case. I don't have any problem with an owner asking for whatever. In fact, I don't want to sell mine; but if someone asks, I'll give them a price about $10k higher than I would take. If they accept it, we'll both be happy. And, if they want to offer $10K less than I would take...that's OK, too. I'll just smile and say, "No, thanks."
Life is too short to get miffed over the small stuff....
Life is too short to get miffed over the small stuff....