I saw a 1972 Corvette on vette hound and the price is 5200 is this too good to be true

 

Well, the saying goes - 'If it seems too good to be true, it probably is'. But, I think you just have to look and see what condition the car is in. Then decide from there.

 

If the car is described to be in excellent condition, than yes, probably it is. If the ad says the seller has a contract with (Ebay, Yahoo, or some other escrow company) and you must send your money to them and the car will be shipped to you for 5 days for you to inspect and if you don't like it you can send it back, then it is defiantly a scam. But I would imagine $5200 for a restorable project car with a solid frame and birdcage sounds reasonable. Last year a local Corvette shop was offering a running but rough 1972 coupe for $10,000

 

All depends on the car...if its rusted through...then...welll

 

Where is this listing?

If it's a NOM in poor to mediocre condition the price may not be far off.

With birdcage or frame rust, even a 'matching numbers' car could go that cheap.

 

Could be. Could also be worth taking a look.

 

The most likely possibilities: frame/birdcage is badly rusted; the whole car is a "basket case"; car is being sold by the wife in a divorce settlement and she's just trying to pi$$-off her ex by selling it cheap ; car's owner passed away and relatives don't know what they have; car is stolen and a quick sale is required.

If the car is in the local area, it's always worth taking a look at it. If you have to spend money to go see it....forget it.

 

thanks to all that reply. i dreamed of owning a corvette someday and I like the year 1972. i have a question what is a birdcage and what to look for when buying

 

The birdcage is the welded steel framework attached to the underbody. All the body panels bond to the birdcage. The two in the pic already have the firewalls in place.


See if you can find a copy; it might be out of print. Good reading.

 

Ahhhh.... The common question and the same I had....

The Birdcage is, essentially, what makes up the cockpit on the C3 (68-82) Corvettes. It is the windesheild frame, the sides at the chassis and the side and "roll-bar" behind the seats (if it is a coupe). They tend to rust in the windsheild area. Typically the corners. There are plenty of photos here. I have a thread with a 1977 version coming apart. I just happened to be at the birdcage right now...

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c3-g...oration-4.html

If you go to the last page (the link) you'll see the birdcage hanging there on a cherry picker (crane) lift.

You can search here for photos of the rust and fixes people have done before. There is plenty out there as this is one of the most common issues with the C3 corvettes. They sell parts to repair, not really an issue there, but the problem is getting to it. It is a bit of a mission and not something that everyone is willing to do. It's taken me about a week of 8 to 10 hour days to get to it. I work on weekends. So I started in late April and just this weekend got to the bare birdcage.

On the price... a 1972 is a chrome bumper Vette. The most expensive of the C3 Vettes. Finding a pristine $5,200 version is hard. There will be work that needs to be done. The upside is that you have the most return on the investment. It is all a matter of how much time and money you are looking to spend. A $5,200 price could get you a car that runs and drives, but I would very careful. Most likely safety is a factor and you should have it very well checked. Cosmetics (interior, body and paint) won't be good.

In the end, is it possible?... yes... will it need a restoration.... probably. Don't expect a great 1972, clean title, perfect cosmetics, well running, safe car.

 

http://www.vettehound.com/geo/classi...php?a=2&b=6774

 

OP said it was a 72. Whatever, that car has potential. Worth taking a look.

 

84,000 miles???....in this C3 registry link the same car had 84,000 miles in April, 2008.
It doesn't mean it's not possible, my '71 has had 55,000 miles for many years.

http://www.c3registry.org/index.php?...07-18&uid=6979

 

yes that is the ad I saw on vette hound, I just could not believe the selling price. Easy Mike thanks for telling me what bird cage is. I am still learning

 

The ad is a bit confusing, says no leather, then say new leather seats.
No mention whether the engine has 'matching numbers'. Makes a difference to some people, lack of matching numbers will limit the peak resale value.

Something odd in the rear, usual exhaust cut outs missing as if it had side pipes at one time?

Could be worth looking at if it's local.

 

Be real carefull on this one!!!! By the pictures there is no way in he..... the price is $5200 even with some rust!!!!!!!

 

There is no way that car is going for $5200. I think it's a typo or scam

 

If that car is legit and the price is legit and no major rust issues, it's a steal.

However, seeing as the seller couldn't type the color correctly "Color is warbonic yellow", I'd be willing that either the price is incorrect or it's a scam.

Go check it out and get back to us.

 

I'll bet the owner's second disability is a lack of a "1" in front of the $5200 ($15200). I once went to see a very nice 911, then I asked the woman showing to verify the price, "oh, no, it's 20k, not 2k." Luckily I didn't have to travel far to help her with her proof reading...In deed, it does take all kinds...

 

This smells of a scam. We like stories, even scam stories, go ahead check it out. It is easy to copy pics and narrative and list in a different venue. Misspelling War Bonnet and the price are a dead give away. I have a number of thank yous from ebay for spotting Vette scams.