Price check on dad's 81?
05-01-2011, 01:44 PM
#1
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Price check on dad's 81?
Hello all,
My father recently passed away, and I have to sell his 81 corvette convertible. His best friend would like to buy it and repair it for the memory, but wants me to find a fair price for it. I was hoping some of you could give me a rough idea of what it would be worth.
Be warned that I'm not car-savvy, but here's what I know:
-It's the 2 door coupe with removable glass roof. Burnt orange color (Dad was told it was one of 5 made, but I don't know how true that is)
-It hasn't moved since 1991
-The carborator is in the midst of repair, leaving the hood open for several years.
-Mice have chewed up much of the wiring
-The body is covered in dust from sitting in his garage
Most of the family says I'll basically just be selling it for the body, since I've no idea how much of the car can be salvaged. I can get pictures sometime next week, but it's basically as bad as you can picture it.
I thank any of you who can offer me any assistance.
My father recently passed away, and I have to sell his 81 corvette convertible. His best friend would like to buy it and repair it for the memory, but wants me to find a fair price for it. I was hoping some of you could give me a rough idea of what it would be worth.
Be warned that I'm not car-savvy, but here's what I know:
-It's the 2 door coupe with removable glass roof. Burnt orange color (Dad was told it was one of 5 made, but I don't know how true that is)
-It hasn't moved since 1991
-The carborator is in the midst of repair, leaving the hood open for several years.
-Mice have chewed up much of the wiring
-The body is covered in dust from sitting in his garage
Most of the family says I'll basically just be selling it for the body, since I've no idea how much of the car can be salvaged. I can get pictures sometime next week, but it's basically as bad as you can picture it.
I thank any of you who can offer me any assistance.
05-01-2011, 02:03 PM
#2
Melting Slicks
Well, if it's covered with dust, that really brings the value down a lot. 
Seriously though, GM didn't make any published convertibles for sale in 81 so you should find someone locally that knows corvettes and find out if it truely was some sort of factory 'special' (doubtful), or, if it was a tastefully modified car using convertible hardware off some other year corvette convertible. That was a conversion that you will see advertised in the early 80's magazines that some companies performed, often in sunny warm states.
81's by themselves aren't particularly valuable, but a convertible would be a very valuable feature to many since '75 was the last year for the convertible for the C3 generation (that's the 'shark' style of corvette that you are selling). Even if you DO get a decent value of a normal car in it's condition it'll be hard to put a finger on the value of a 81 convertible since they very rarely come up for sale. None of the other items that you listed will affect the value. Get the carb back on it and get it running. The things you need to have assessed are the overall quality of the car's major components: Engine, Interior, Frame & windshield surround (rust can be a BIG problem on these cars if the tops leaked), and miles. You may want to take it to a detailer and spend a couple hundred bucks getting it cleaned and buffed and make it sparkle again. Heck after that, you or a family member may want to keep it as a momento of your father's passion for corvettes.
So, in summary, try to get someone to look at it locally that knows vettes. Put some pictures of the car and the VIN on this site. If the friend is only going to turn around and make a buck on it, I'd try to give it a high value. If he was your dad's best friend and genuinely wants the car and you want to ensure it's in good hands, work out a reasonable deal after you figure out it's value. FWIW, I did see a 81 Vette convertible conversion sell on Ebay about 3-4 years ago in Salt Lake City. It was pretty rough inside and needed paint. It sold for about $5,500 - $6,000 if I remember correctly.
I was at a car show yesterday and saw a nice 82 Collector's edition marked at $7,500 that didn't sell. Lot of Camaro's and other run-of-the-mill cars that were in the $8k range a few years ago were marked at around $5,800 OBO. Collector cars are in the dumps right now price-wise.
Mark G
Seriously though, GM didn't make any published convertibles for sale in 81 so you should find someone locally that knows corvettes and find out if it truely was some sort of factory 'special' (doubtful), or, if it was a tastefully modified car using convertible hardware off some other year corvette convertible. That was a conversion that you will see advertised in the early 80's magazines that some companies performed, often in sunny warm states.
81's by themselves aren't particularly valuable, but a convertible would be a very valuable feature to many since '75 was the last year for the convertible for the C3 generation (that's the 'shark' style of corvette that you are selling). Even if you DO get a decent value of a normal car in it's condition it'll be hard to put a finger on the value of a 81 convertible since they very rarely come up for sale. None of the other items that you listed will affect the value. Get the carb back on it and get it running. The things you need to have assessed are the overall quality of the car's major components: Engine, Interior, Frame & windshield surround (rust can be a BIG problem on these cars if the tops leaked), and miles. You may want to take it to a detailer and spend a couple hundred bucks getting it cleaned and buffed and make it sparkle again. Heck after that, you or a family member may want to keep it as a momento of your father's passion for corvettes.
So, in summary, try to get someone to look at it locally that knows vettes. Put some pictures of the car and the VIN on this site. If the friend is only going to turn around and make a buck on it, I'd try to give it a high value. If he was your dad's best friend and genuinely wants the car and you want to ensure it's in good hands, work out a reasonable deal after you figure out it's value. FWIW, I did see a 81 Vette convertible conversion sell on Ebay about 3-4 years ago in Salt Lake City. It was pretty rough inside and needed paint. It sold for about $5,500 - $6,000 if I remember correctly.
I was at a car show yesterday and saw a nice 82 Collector's edition marked at $7,500 that didn't sell. Lot of Camaro's and other run-of-the-mill cars that were in the $8k range a few years ago were marked at around $5,800 OBO. Collector cars are in the dumps right now price-wise.
Mark G
Last edited by Mark G; 05-01-2011 at 02:09 PM.
05-01-2011, 02:13 PM
#3
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It could also be an '82. I was always told it was an 82, but I found his car title from 2005 (after getting his girlfriend's name off the original title) and it says 1981 Chevrolet Corvette style: CP (coupe?), 8 cyl, 3,200 lbs, LP: $15,300.
His friend won't be selling it. He wants to put money in to it to see it run again, since it was Dad's favorite possession (not that it shows!).
Would $4,000 be too much? That was the price I'd initially figured, since I guessed I'd get $10,000 if it ran. I don't want to overcharge him since he's a really good guy, but he doesn't want me to give it to him for too little, either.
His friend won't be selling it. He wants to put money in to it to see it run again, since it was Dad's favorite possession (not that it shows!).
Would $4,000 be too much? That was the price I'd initially figured, since I guessed I'd get $10,000 if it ran. I don't want to overcharge him since he's a really good guy, but he doesn't want me to give it to him for too little, either.
05-01-2011, 02:39 PM
#5
Race Director
The VIN will tell you the year for sure, but it sounds like it's an 81 coupe. As said above, not particularly valuable especially with the carb out and the wiring bad. 81s had a computer controlled carburator and in many states it will need the whole system working before it can be licensed (and transferred). It can be done but it isn't a trivial undertaking.
Sitting for 20 years is bad. Likely everything will need to be worked on including brakes, cooling, engine and propably every rubber piece in the car.
Again, posting pictures will help, but assuming that the paint and interior needs to be done, I don't think that $2000 to $2500 is out of line. This assumes that the frame is ok. If not, I would consider giving it to your dad's friend.
Sitting for 20 years is bad. Likely everything will need to be worked on including brakes, cooling, engine and propably every rubber piece in the car.
Again, posting pictures will help, but assuming that the paint and interior needs to be done, I don't think that $2000 to $2500 is out of line. This assumes that the frame is ok. If not, I would consider giving it to your dad's friend.
05-01-2011, 02:41 PM
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05-01-2011, 04:34 PM
#8
Race Director
Vin: 1G1AY8768BS417159
Regarding the color, there isn't a burnt orange. Closest I can find is Dark Bronze which is code 74. The body color and interior code are on a plate near the hinge on the driver's side door frame. A fairly uncommon color in that 432 were made.
Last edited by CA-Legal-Vette; 05-01-2011 at 04:40 PM.
05-01-2011, 04:52 PM
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Thank you for finding that info, Ca-Legal. I told him 1000-3000 sounded about fair, and he's going to come out and take a look at it, but that seems to be the agreed upon number right now. Thank you all for helping me get a good estimate on the car's value!
05-01-2011, 05:56 PM
#10
Melting Slicks
If it doesn't run and you don't want to do anything other than sell it, you're in the right range. I agree with the above, be sure to ask for a ride when he get's it back on the road.
Mark G
Mark G
05-01-2011, 09:32 PM
#11
Burning Brakes
Hello all,
My father recently passed away, and I have to sell his 81 corvette convertible. His best friend would like to buy it and repair it for the memory, but wants me to find a fair price for it. I was hoping some of you could give me a rough idea of what it would be worth.
Be warned that I'm not car-savvy, but here's what I know:
-It's the 2 door coupe with removable glass roof. Burnt orange color (Dad was told it was one of 5 made, but I don't know how true that is)
-It hasn't moved since 1991
-The carborator is in the midst of repair, leaving the hood open for several years.
-Mice have chewed up much of the wiring
-The body is covered in dust from sitting in his garage
Most of the family says I'll basically just be selling it for the body, since I've no idea how much of the car can be salvaged. I can get pictures sometime next week, but it's basically as bad as you can picture it.
I thank any of you who can offer me any assistance.
My father recently passed away, and I have to sell his 81 corvette convertible. His best friend would like to buy it and repair it for the memory, but wants me to find a fair price for it. I was hoping some of you could give me a rough idea of what it would be worth.
Be warned that I'm not car-savvy, but here's what I know:
-It's the 2 door coupe with removable glass roof. Burnt orange color (Dad was told it was one of 5 made, but I don't know how true that is)
-It hasn't moved since 1991
-The carborator is in the midst of repair, leaving the hood open for several years.
-Mice have chewed up much of the wiring
-The body is covered in dust from sitting in his garage
Most of the family says I'll basically just be selling it for the body, since I've no idea how much of the car can be salvaged. I can get pictures sometime next week, but it's basically as bad as you can picture it.
I thank any of you who can offer me any assistance.
