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1982 Corvette Questions Please?

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Old Sep 23, 2012 | 04:14 PM
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Default 1982 Corvette Questions Please?

Hello

This is my first post. Back when I was in my late teens I worked at an exotic used car lot in college and the owner had quite a few older corvettes of which I had the pleasure of driving on a regular basis.

As life is get married, have kids, house, bills etc...I just never got around to getting one of my own. Oldest is now in college and the other two in high school and the money is set aside for them for college.

Anyway my neighbor must sell her 1982 Corvette. Mechanically it appears pretty sound although I will have it looked at closer by mechanic. It is badly in need of a paint job. I think she had it painted once and it is coming off the hood in chunks.

I have been looking at prices and for what I belive I can get this for it is dirt cheap even if I have to spend a couple thousand for paint. So my question is as far as future collectability/value does it afffect the value if it is not original paint? Not original color?

I know people restore cars all the time, I never had and I am not sure of the do's and don'ts. At any rate it is a 30 year old corvette and I would love to have it. Only has 60,000 miles on it.

Thougts suggestions.

Thanks
Joe
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Old Sep 23, 2012 | 04:35 PM
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"A couple thousand" for paint? Were you quoted this number? It could be 3-5 times that amount.

In most cases, yes, wrong color can affect the value negatively. Generally speaking, the impact is less on cars with less market value.
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Old Sep 23, 2012 | 04:46 PM
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No official quote on the paint cost just general conversation with a local guy that paints cars...

the impact is less on cars with less market value would this be a 82 corvette that you are speaking of?

What would one pay for an 82 with clean interior, runs well and needs paint? just a ballpark, I know details are missing...

Thanks
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Old Sep 23, 2012 | 07:41 PM
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i would guess the 82 at 4-8 thousand .the low miles are good but there is a lot to think about .how is the interior ,brakes ,any rust,what color is it ?some colors sell better than some.paint will be higher than you think.how do the the rubber bumbers look?
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Old Sep 23, 2012 | 08:47 PM
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Brakes are good, runs good, have to have a mechanic put it on a lift and give it a good look over so those questions are still unanswered. The interior is in good shape (red). It is a dark grey in color, not sure if it is the original paint or not. I am thinking it is not.
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Old Sep 23, 2012 | 09:22 PM
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check the plate inside the drivers door and see what the original color was.http://corvettec3.ca/colors.htm#1982_Options
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Old Sep 23, 2012 | 09:26 PM
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Originally Posted by terry82
check the plate inside the drivers door and see what the original color was.http://corvettec3.ca/colors.htm#1982_Options
Thank You
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Old Sep 24, 2012 | 01:12 PM
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Originally Posted by jjpish68
....So my question is as far as future collectability/value does it afffect the value if it is not original paint? Not original color?...
Yes and No. At resale time, about a third of potential buyers will be aware of the wrong color repaint and are likely to walk away.

About a third of potential buyers might be aware of the wrong color repaint but it would not necessarily be a deal breaker for them provided the car has a desirable color on it and looks good.

About a third of potential buyers will not realize the car is an incorrect color and will not know where to look to determine what the original color was.

Be aware a color change repaint is expensive and more involved than you might think.

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Old Sep 24, 2012 | 01:17 PM
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Ok so below are some pics of what I am looking at. I know I have none of the underside etc.. but based on what you see here what is a first look value. I am interested but obviously don't want to over-pay or buy something that is going to be a nightmare...
Could use some guidance please
Thanks
Joe





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Old Sep 24, 2012 | 02:44 PM
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If you can get for "dirt cheap" like you said, I would buy it. It probably is the original color, as the red interior was an option with that color for 82. And that interior doesn't look bad at all. Just be prepared to replace and update parts as needed, for it is a 30 year old vehicle.
Bought my 82 back in March as a "dd" and have put money into it since, but I use it everyday, so it needs to be totally reliable. If you enjoy or would enjoy working on the 82, then do it. If you feel it may cost to much time, $$$ and effort down the road, then I would look for one that has already been redone or a great shape original. It will cost you more, but you probably won't have to do more than maintain what has already been completed.
Good luck in your decision...................Tom

PS....engine compartment looks complete, doesn't look like anything is missing. And the car appears to have most of the options for that year.

Last edited by 74 LS4-454; Sep 24, 2012 at 02:48 PM.
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Old Sep 24, 2012 | 02:54 PM
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If the car runs good and checks out ok, I'ld buy it. Check out all the little things to make sure they work. (power windows, locks, seats, antenna, mirrows, ect.) Don't buy it as an investment. It's hard to make money on these type of cars. If you love the car, it is something you really want to have, buy it! Corvettes are cool cars. Just remember, it IS a 30 year old car and things WILL go wrong with it that will have to be worked on. Corvettes are different than other cars to work on. They are just put together diffenently than most other cars, and can be frustrating to work on.

I would say if you can get it for less than $7000.00, it is a good deal. It's not going to be a show car, right? I'm sure you could get paint for less than some on here think. People on here like to show off and will tell you all sorts of things!

Best wishes!

Last edited by ksumt93; Sep 24, 2012 at 02:56 PM. Reason: additional info
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Old Sep 24, 2012 | 03:00 PM
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Also, it looks like the paint damage is confined to the front fenders. You could probably just get that part painted to match the rest of the car if you like the color.

I agree with ssroadster, this car looks complete! that is important, you don't want to be searching for parts and stuff on these cars. Looks like a great deal to me.

out of curiouity, how much are they asking for this car???
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Old Sep 24, 2012 | 03:02 PM
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What are the codes on the trim tag? Looks like 742 red leather and 39 Charcoal to me. I'm wondering whether the car may have been white (10) once upon a time.

Other than the paint problem (I've never seen a Bowling Green car lose paint in this type of pattern), it looks like an otherwise nice 82.


Last edited by Easy Mike; Sep 24, 2012 at 03:04 PM.
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Old Sep 24, 2012 | 03:03 PM
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Thank You for the responses. I would not be buying this for an invest or for a show car. I have always loved Corvettes well at least the C3's, the newer style just never excited me. Since I drove my first one back when I was 18 I said some day I would have one. This would be purely a toy to have some fun in with my wife and my kids (well at least one of them at a time...) Already have my Harley and a Jeep. Started looking for an old car a while back but nothing ever seemed to jump out at me. I just stumbled across this one and the girl who owns it has to not wants to sell it. I am thinking this would be a good opportunity if the price is right.
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Old Sep 24, 2012 | 03:05 PM
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Originally Posted by Easy Mike
What are the codes on the trim tag? Looks like 742 red leather and 39 Charcoal to me. I'm wondering whether the car may have been white (10) once upon a time.

I will check when I get home from work. It is up the street from me and I was going to go crawl around with a flashlight and look around underneath when I get home.
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Old Sep 24, 2012 | 03:09 PM
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Originally Posted by ksumt93
out of curiouity, how much are they asking for this car???
She is asking $7999, I am pretty sure I can get it for less. I hope to be somewhere around 5k give or take...
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Old Sep 24, 2012 | 03:14 PM
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Originally Posted by jjpish68
She is asking $7999, I am pretty sure I can get it for less. I hope to be somewhere around 5k give or take...
7999 seem like a realistic price to me....5000 seems a little low...but, if you can get it for that definately go for it!
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To 1982 Corvette Questions Please?

Old Sep 24, 2012 | 03:32 PM
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Originally Posted by ksumt93
7999 seem like a realistic price to me....5000 seems a little low...but, if you can get it for that definately go for it!
She is moving and can't take it with her. The sooner she sells it the sooner she can leave. If we can meet somewhere in the middle I think I would be pretty happy
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Old Sep 24, 2012 | 04:59 PM
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Originally Posted by jjpish68
She is asking $7999, I am pretty sure I can get it for less. I hope to be somewhere around 5k give or take...
That is not a bad price, considering that everything checks out on the lift and doesn't have any major issues....
If you can get it for under 7K, I would jump on it. Besides the paint, it does look good. When you get it up on the lift, don't let a little surface rust bother you, as long as there are no major rust issues, and everything qppears to be solid, I think you would be very happy with this 82......
if you want to make sure it tracks straight, get a bucket of water and pour it in the street (any flat surface) and then drive the Vette straight through it slowly with all 4 tires going through the water. Then get out and check the tire tracks on the street and you can determine somewhat if the frame & suspension is out of alaignment or not, by the pattern the tires leave on the dry surface. Just a simple test.
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Old Sep 24, 2012 | 06:27 PM
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Originally Posted by jjpish68
She is asking $7999, I am pretty sure I can get it for less. I hope to be somewhere around 5k give or take...
if you really like the car i would go 6 .the paint is going to be expensive.the whole car has to be painted .for the paint to come off like that they did not do something right .i have been quoted prices up to 10 thousand for a paint job.
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