Fishndude

I'm getting close to having 20k invested in my 68 just in the past 1.5 years and cant even get 13k for it.. It has a brand new built 355 (less than 200 miles) that was dynoed at 460+ HP, new TCI th400, the front end was just gone through and the entire rearend from the drivesahft back is all new.. I also have the orginal numbers matching motor that has never been bored!!!! Oh well, I'll just keep it or look for someone that wants to trade a drag car for it.

Rudy's Stingray

Rudy

Timsride

SOLD LOL. Nice car worth every penny.

Paul L

No, rubber bumpers don't get those prices. So I'll keep and enjoy it.

I'm still intrigued where the OP is coming from re $16-18K project cars? These go for $3-4K. And we all know what comes out next: the VISA card. Gentleman/Ladies buy the best car you can find at a reasonable price. I did, re-did the interior, stereo, heater core, Q-Jet, and much more. Just fire it up and drive. Love it.

nutsy

PAUL thats a beautiful vette. was pic taken on flag day up there? i see 3 of them.

Paul L

Yes the pic was taken on Canada Day, July 1, 2010. That car just was smooth as a baby's bum that day. Sure diss the L-48. When they are good, they are very good and a pleasure to drive. The Wife and I loved the day.

Paul L

Just to close this off for the evening, I completely disagree with you. Some very fine C2/C3/C4 Corvettes in very fine condition can be bought for very reasonable prices.

Swift_C3

What i noticed are some people are greedy regardless of the condition, they believe because they purchased at a certain price point they deserve to get that back.

For example, I had a roommate who bought a new laptop, had said laptop for a year, tried to sell for around 10-20% off what he bought it at. You couldn't tell him that he was overpricing it, he sternly believed his deal was the best.

The other thing is some people believe you should reimburse them for their tinkering, PO purchases all sorts of parts, may be it works fine may be not, but they think well I bought this car for 10k I put another 5k into the engine before I blew out the tranny, I should be able to get 15k because of the engine.

.....Go figure.... I bought my 75 L48 for 8k, I've been finding a few glued parts here and there.... I just shake my head in disappointment that I wasn't told about the parts being broken, but for 8k I don't mind, I could have bought something that didn't run or look as sexy. Maybe I got ripped off, maybe not, what would I sell it for? not a damn thing at the moment! (unless its quite a bit above 8k to clear the rest of my debts)

dbeall1968

Getting back to RRV's point: let's all remember he is in Massachusetts, where things are priced differently than say, Alabama. Stan sees his share of cars, and he know a project when he sees one. If Stan says a car is not safe to drive, I take his word on it. He is as good as they get for restoration work, and he can spot Bubba's handywork from a mile away.

eastltd

In Stan's defence, some of the cars in the $18K range do need a lot of work.

As you know, there are several hidden items behind the paint. Many cars have rust, drive train, suspension, wiring etc, etc, etc issues that may not be disclosed.

Point in case, there is an '80 for sale here that should be an $8-$10K car with front end, paint & interior issues listed for $19,900.

hammadown

Vett's and flags................ I'll join in



I know I paid to much for my car 3 years ago.......... But, I also had a VERY knowlegable person check the car out for me. Guy Mayberry....."Mayberg" here on the forum he spent close to 8 hours inspecting the car for me. plenty of pictures were taken. paint wasn't original color but..........was in great shape and the body was PERFECT no hit and straight. I figured ......no problem I can drive it for a while and then worry about paint hold on Guy said.............you cant drive it right away .Why??? most of the bushings in the suspention were very bad and the entire suspention is very tired and worn out from age.but........its all there,95% stock or original and in very good condition fof it's age.the frame and birdcage were rust free. No problem.......I'll just rebuild it and restore the chassis cosmetics when I get it and THEN I can drive it. motor,tranny, rearend all original. Guy drove the car for a short distance and very carefully because he felt that the car wasn't road worthy untill the suspention was refreshed. but.....the motor ran great with no smoke but had a few oil leaks normal to a 37 year old 350. the rebuilt, 1-K mile ago tranny shifted crisply and was dry of any leaks. the rear end was in good shape and had no noises or leaks. the interior was in great shape overall and was about 95% stock original. the car was in very good 38 year old shape overall. and if I feel comfortable with the wrong paint color and doing a few things to make it roadworthy again....... then he felt it was a very good car to buy........"for the right price". I just happend to spend a little bit more than "the right price" but I got 1 HELL of a good car With NO sign of "bubba" going through it adding his personal touches

Hammadown

3JsVette

OK I'll give this a shot. The real debate here lies in what the purchaser's definition of meets or exceeds their personal standard. We all don't see things the same and we all don't share the same priorities. I have seen Stan's work in person (3 cars in 3 consecutive years at Carlisle) so I understand what he's saying and where he is coming from. He is not going to find a 20K car that's "done". I realize as much as anyone that there are lot's of good buys out there driven by the sad state of the economy. I think most of us do. The average C3 is going to need something. Afterall these cars are 28 years old or more. The gray area is what I think it needs and what someone else thinks it needs are probably two different things. That's why some us end up with 20K in a car and others 75K or more. It's real easy to pour way to much money into one of these cars. That's why it's often said buy the best car you can for the money you have to spend. A done car is usually going to cost less than building one even if you do a lot of the work yourself. On top of that you also skip the time to build it investment. If 20 - 25K buys a nice driver in this economy what does 35 - 40K buy? Again after you spend the money are you done or are you just starting? My guess is at best there is something that needs to be addressed before you can say you're done. The bottom line is the owner is the one that needs to be satisfied with what he has to show for what he spent.

Faster Rat

I would be wary of any car that has only been painted and maybe had the carpet and seat covers replaced...an obvious short-cut by a seller who is neither mechanically inclined nor willing and able to spend the money and effort to make the car safe and reliable. These kinds of cars are really nothing more than the proverbial "lipstick on a pig" awaiting some unknowledgeable buyer who thinks he or she is buying a restored car...and paying that price. If that is all that is available in today's market, then as an informed buyer I would just continue looking and waiting.

GD70

I'm confused by Stan's comments. Based on what he's saying, my vette is a rolling project and my asking price is too high? I have all the respect in the world for Stan and the amazing work he does, but I must say I feel he's off base here. I paid what I'm asking, so I don't think I over paid when I bought it 3 1/2 years ago. It's no trailer queen, but runs great and is a very presentable driver condition Vette. So you guys tell me, is my asking price over priced according to Stan's opinions? A video & pics taken today.
Glenn

markids77

The recent economic downturn is real, and truly global in scope. During the "bubble years" immediately preceding the crash pricing on all the "finer things" in the consumer world skyrocketed in rough step with stock/housing values. Heck, according to my local tax assesor, my house "lost" $100,000 in value from last assesment to this one. Still "worth" $60K more than I paid though...Folks who were shortsighted enough to think the rise was more than a passing fancy made all manner of less than considered "investments" while riding the wave. You can't blame folks for trying to recover as much as possible in this tough economy.... but I think there will be a lot of cars not selling at current asking price, or cars that sell will reflect current pricing regardless of profit or loss. Asking prices and completed sale pricing can be widely divergent; it would be interesting if we were able to follow the trend in a couple local markets... anyone able to follow this locally to yourself?

RobRace10

There certainly cars out there overpriced for what they are. Corvettes for sure can have a nice looking body, but have serious issues underneath.

So for the prices in Alabama, this 69 Vert 427/390 HP car was on Craig's list Alabama and Ebay. Craig's list asking price was $80,000 and the seller says she has an appraisal of $110,000. Now I got to thinking she probably got it in the divorce settlement and he found someone to appraise it @ $110,000. and she got the asset! The bidding on eBay stopped at $14,XXX so in effect that is how much someone would pay for it. I told her unless Elvis owned it, if she got $20K take it and run.


Here is the description"1969 stingray excellate condition color lt bur,427 motor very clean,everything original but color and sterio,air condition but see"










There is also a 65 Convertible for $25K which looks like a realistic price but hasn't sold in a 3 weeks in the same area.

RobRace10

I was at a local Cruise In last week and amazed at how many cars were for sale. Many way above what they should be. One guy told me that the 57 Belair that was for sale for $35K, he knew they guy and said they need to sell and would take $25K. I bet in these times there are some very motivated sellers, those that don't have to sell are asking prices from two years ago and that just won't fly in today's economy.



Another guy had a car I was interested in, but he had a $13,500 on the for sale sign. It is probably worth half that and to make it worse he has borrowed against the car for more than the car is worth, so if he sold it for what it is worth $7,500 or so, he would have to come up with the rest to pay off the note but he has no cash to do that with. So his only hope is to find someone who will overpay for it which again in this market is highly doubtful.

dbeall1968

A perfect example. Just in these pics I see aluminum slot wheels, missing ignition shielding, and what is a sterio? The seller thinks she has a winning lottery ticket. That car may be worth $80 grand if it has a glove box stuffed with $60,000.

vettebuyer6369

Gee Paul are you really going to be one of those Forum people that reads half of a sentence I write and misquotes me?

For the record, I do not dislike entry level cars. However, I do not overrate them, as most their owners do. Therefore, their owners think I hate them.

And, (this surprises me that you think this) but I have NEVER ranked a '74 roadster as an "entry-level car." I would GENERALLY rank a typical '74-82 small-block COUPE as an entry level car. A key factor in the entry level aspect is the price, and '74-'75 roadsters do not meet that criteria for me.

As far as your car is concerned, I don't know enough about it to know if your number is on the high side.

Now- Stan- regarding your OP, I think you are simply falling into the situation known as the Corvette Owner Factor. Corvette owners, more than any other car owner, overvalue their cars. In every generation. I've been appraising them for years, and it's always been that way. These days, it really does seem to me that the C3 owners are the absolute worst, especially cars with modifications.

These guys watch too much TV, or read silly magazine price guides or subscribe to NADA or are drinking some other sort of delusional Kool Aid, but its all over the place, Stan. Get used to it.

And, the vast majority of appraisals out there, as most of us know, are not worth the paper they are written on. Anyone who would sign their name to a $40,000 appraisal for a '76 unless it was the 1 in the entire planet that might even dream of being in this stratosphere, is very typical of the "appraisers" ( ) that are more interested in making the car owner happy and receiving a check, than maintaining any professional credibility.

vettebuyer6369

Tough question to answer without the asking price.