0Road-Race Vette

Lately, I have done a bunch of pre-purchase inspections on some early C3's all priced in the 14-18k range.

None of them have gotten a passing grade.

Now I know that for that price range, you cant expect miracles. You will have to give up something on one end to get something on the other. It comes down to what ever the buyer is willing to deal with. These cars are for the most part what I call "rolling projects".

They have been done over a time or two, usualy not the right way, and just because they have paint on them and they run, people expect to get all this $$$ for them.

Most sellers I talk to, say they get their pricing from what they saw on Ebay. Then they mostly plead ignorance to everything wrong with the car. Some ignorance could be honest, but some, I have to say is not. (Especialy from the cars that come from"reputable" dealers.)

These cars seem to be called "driver quality" but in reality would take thousands to make them even safe!!!

I guess what I am trying to say is that that particular price range is what I call the danger Zone.

If you look past the cheap paintjob, and the fact that the car drives on its own, it is just a project car that needs a lot, so sometimes it may be best to start off with something lesser for less $$$, or to move up in price range, where you will have a better chance of getting the most for your $$$.

All the cars I have seen so far had body issues(previous damage),mechanicaly were fair, and overall needed a lot of work to be called safe drivers.

Getting buried in a project is Ok, as long as that was the intent from the beggining. For the buyer who wants a good driver that can be tweeked a bit, the 14-18k price range is a minefield of sorts, and if you are not careful you can step on one.

Being in this business for a long time, maybe I am old fashioned, but I expect something for my $$$ when I purchase a car. Or have these cars gotten so valuable that this is what it is now???


I am sure that there are gems out there still to be found for a fair price, so you just have to look harder these days. They are out there.

http://www.2ndgenrestorations.com

ED79

Well, excuse me for being frank but since you've been doing this for a long time, I would have thought you would have been more knowledgeable or up to date. Maybe these were priced high and maybe not, I haven't seen them, or maybe you need to ante up more money to get what you want. As you should know, everything comes with a price. Keep in mind that they could be more if it wasn't for the economy. Enough said here. Ed

Alan 71

Hi Stan,
I think in the last few years many people were not very diligent in researching what they were buying and paid too much for marginal cars.
They now hope someone else will bail them out.
Regards,
Alan

pewter-FRC

too many people think that barrett jackson is REAL

pewter-FRC

i can only imagine what you "THINK" your 79 is worth

dbeall1968

Alan probably hit it right- many of these cars may have been bought a few years ago, and the current owner either needs cash to get out of debt, or they are buried in it because they paid too much in the first place. Well now they think since they have owned it for a few years, they should be able to realize a gain on their investment. The truth is, it is a terrible time to sell ANYTHING, and they need to realize they will be lucky to sell it even for what they have in it. It is a great time to have some extra money to buy a few cars, but I know very few who are in a position to do that. Certainly the banks aren't lending the money, but I digress....

dutchydutch

i no what u mean people ask alot for just the car... but so far i didnt step on that land mine yet my vette cost 15 thousand and appriased fpr 40 thousand and its got a couple of little issues that i got told about but besided that its amazing... just for the people reading this to let them know not everyone is out to scam ya

ED79

Only what I want it to be to me, and who ask you???

The whole idea is hopeing to keep the values up on all of Vettes.

Ed

Timsride

This is what kept Me from buying a vette for about 35 Years I always thought they were 5 to 10 thousand over priced. I don't know how many vettes I passed on because they wanted what I thought was top dollar and still needed work? Some of them I think now I was stupid for passing up. A 67 427/435hp from RM restoration almost top flight quality 20 Years ago 35,000. My one boss always said that a car is worth watever the owner is willing to spend on it.

Alan 71

Hi DD,
Wow, a 76 appraised at $40,000. It must be a fabulous car.
How about a few pictures for us to enjoy?
Regards,
Alan

eastltd

I wonder is the same applies in the C2 world with the $30K range cars?

Faster Rat

There is a saying in the world of antiques that goes "I didn't pay too much for it, I just bought it too early." This undoubtedly applies to collector cars as well. If you think you will be paying too much for it today, just try buying it in another 10 years.

Paul L

OK, I'll take a swing at this one. And my 1974 convertible is not a "rolling project" believe me. In today's market I think a fair market price for this car is $21,500. Steve (VetteBuyer) over to you to jump on me . I know what you think of C3 "entry" cars.

stingraymyway

It always kills me to see how much stupid money gets thrown around at that auction. What's worse, is the people at home watching, thinking that their POS sitting under a tree, rotting away, is worth that kind of money too......

The13Bats

What I noticed in the 9 months it took me to find my 69 Silver tuna is that because of economy and such some people are being forced to sell rather than sell because want to move on, in too many cases when people have to sell they are bitter about it and jack the price up...being greedy because they need the money, being that people are having to sell also brings the sub rate or out right junk to the sale block.

I got lucky on Silver tuna...I rolled the dice and won but too much junk out there with high price tags.

81pilot

I have read a lot of posts that generally talk of the overpricing of Vettes, but rarely if ever acknowledge generally good prices. I do however understand your concern. But I know that prices will increase across the board, it never happens suddenly it occurs over time. Statistics would say that the collector car market should be starting back up, since it is an indicator of discretionary spending. The demographic for those with discretionary income now have an unemployment rate relatively low and not increasing anymore. The lower earners , those with no real discretionary income, make up the large majority of out of work people. So it would stand to reason, the prices asked for those types of cars may indeed be on the upswing(pure conjecture on my part), especially if they get sold, then the prices will stay at least static or go up, market recovery is fickle, but things valued by those who have the extra money always recover first. I hope that is the case with old cars anyway.

81pilot

Beautiful car!!!

terry82

you have to start with a price .you can always come down but you cant go up so you have to start high.some people or dealers take trade ins ,so you have to start high.most people have some kind of attachment to a corvette so they are going to start high.they can start any where they want ,i always do my homework and i know what a fair price is or i walk away .but i always leave my number if they would like to talk again.

The13Bats

My 69 is a runner driver that needs work....I have right at 10K invested in a 69 Convertible....That I only paid 6500.00 ...to me it was a great price for a rust free driver...took 9 months to find it and another 2 to get it home....

Paul L

It hummms as an L-48 will do. Beautiful car. I just thought I would throw a price into the endless argument.

The OP speaks of $18,000 project cars. I don't buy that argument at all.