Howdy C3 folks. I own a C5 Z06 and am of course in love with it.

Today my wife and I were driving in a rural area and came across a used car lot on which is a 1975 Stingray in pearl opal paint. AT. We stopped in to look at it and the first thing I noticed were a few cracks in the paint, one which might be in the glass. Second, I noticed a not so factory weld on the frame on the part that supports the front A arm, where it welds to the front cross member it has obviously been rewelded.

Paint is 7 over all, front and rear bumpers need respray, and a few spots on the car need to be spot sprayed.

3rd, I noticed a reassigned VIN from texas on the doorsill. What the heck is that all about?

OK. On to the positive.

Owner claims new crate 350, has edlebrock 4BBl carb, MSD ignition, headers. exhaust, heads, and more Im missing. I did not have him run the engine, I was afraid of falling in love with it and snatching it up.

The interior is a 6, loose panels, new dash, center console is worn, carpet is pretty finished in general. Definitely needs work. Seats are not too bad, a little wear on drivers bolster.

OK. What do I do? Run from the reassigned VIN? Talk to the guy more and try for more information or just scopp it up?

He is asking 9K for it, I figure in its current state if the engine is running well I should offer 7500 and go from there, IF I were to make na offer in the first place.

What do i need to look for with this car? Trouble areas? Rust areas to pay attention to? Transmission issues? I know NOTHING about this generation.

THanks for reading my veritable wall of text.

Peter

 

First off.. Where are you? Maybe some C3CF folks near that can help ...

 

Richmond Va, car is located in West Point Va.

 

A state issued VIN will seriously affect resale value for most buyers, no reasons I can imagine for a reissued VIN give me the warm fuzzies about the car's past history. Frame damage is another strike against the car especially if the repair jumps out on semicasual inspection. Strike three for needing any paintwork at all since opalescent pearl white is not a color likely to "blend" well for spot repair, and a decent overall repaint might go for anywhere from $2500 to $10K depending on the shop, your expectations of the result, and your budget... unless you own a body shop and can do the fix in spare time. Strike 4 for needing an interior... it is easy to drop $1500 to $3K on a fresh interior if you do all the work yourself. I council you run and don't look back.

 

For 7500 you could do much better than this car. It sounds like a money pit. When buying something like this take someone along who has no emotional investment in the car. They will give you an honest opinion. You almost got caught up in the emotion of it and it is the first one you looked at. Also take someone who knows what to look for in a C3. There are lots of hidden problems with these

 

sounds like a rebuilt or a salvage type title not good when the state "issues" a title it usually means a shady past for the vehicle. (i also agree not a good sign). the guy is smoking something you might want to ask him to share if you are so inclined asking 9k. in the condition you described (in my opinion) 5k would be a bit of a stretch, and with a welded frame that is obvious, who knows what other gremlins you could find. there are plenty of nice C3 original cars out there that wouldn't require that much work and are priced more realistically. a friend of mine bought an original paint 79 from the original owner with all dealer maintained documentation from day one of it's life with everything in working condition (l48 4speed) interior seats and carpeting replaced within the past 2 years. the only non original piece on the car (by original i mean correct replacement GM part) was the radio which had been upgraded to something solid state and newer technology. the cost...............$6000.00. keep looking if youa re really interested in a C3. an all original number matching (drive train) 74 convertible 4 speed sold on ebay for 17k (and i believe it had a/c also).

 

I have to agree with the masses here. Let this one go. Frame damage could indicate a hard hit at some point. Who knows what lies beneath. Keep looking.

 

I agree!!! run as fast as you can!!!! I am sure you can find something a lot better for what they are asking.

 

Like the Iron Maiden song, I am going to RUN TO THE HILLS! Thanks guys! The search shall continue!

 

Run Forest Run!!

 

You gotta ask yourself do you feel lucky. Id buy that car for 5500.00cause your gonna spend time in the shop(unless you do all the work yourself) and lots of money on parts and the front end damage i would see if he would let you take it to a front end shop and see if it is good or junk they can normally tell.Also kinda bothers me that it would be the cars second paint job.My 75 still has the original paint .