Hi guys, im curious what you think a fair price appraisal would be for my 1981 Corvette. may be interested in selling her although I don't want to, its becoming expensive to own 2 cars at 24 years old. A fair appraisal would be really appreciated.

its a 1981, great shape, mechanically runs perfect. Built in the Bowling Green Plant, it has a Pace Performance 330hp Crate engine with 4800 miles on it, 4 speed rebuilt tranny at the same time of engine swap. just had the steering box rebuilt, oil change, tranny fluid, and brakes flushed. recent brakes and shocks all the way around. tires have great tread maybe 90% life.

all brand new interior and carpet jet black, every gauge works except for the oil temp. has DVD flip out screen with ipod connection, will charge your ipod at the same time. Carbon fiber dash trim.

the exterior is very nice, a few imperfections here and there but its a custom Garnet Red paint job and it looks very presentable and nice.. straight pipe quad exhaust.

I have Mirror Glass T tops and color matched Red T tops, as well as many misc parts.


attached are some pics and a quick walk around video, please take a look and let me know what you think I could get for it... again im young and I may need to look into combining my two cars into a more practical single car.







walkaround video

thanks guys

 

thats a very nice car, honestly, I would keep it if at all possible. with the economy the way it is it's very hard to sell these things for even a fraction of what it's worth. also, I guarantee that one day down the road you will regret selling it.

but, if you do decide to sell it----- it will be worth what someone is willing to pay you for it. I would do a lot of research in your area and try to compare it with what others are asking. also, look back and try to see how long the same cars have been for sale. just because they are ASKING 10,000 for it doesn't mean it sells for that.

 

nice car

as stated above right now the way things are its a buyers market. Try and get 10, but don't be surprised if that number is hard to get in todays economy.

 

Beautiful car. You can check actual selling prices (not just asking prices) with ebay's Completed auctions. Both cars that sold (prices in green font) and cars that did not sell (with bids less than reserve) will indicate what buyers are willing to spend.

I've been where you are at - bought my first 'Vette about your age, fixed it up and drove it daily for a few years. Traded for a minivan when our second child was born - could not afford to keep a two passenger toy. I always knew I would have another one, which finally happened a couple years ago now that the kids are driving their own cars and don't need shuttled around. I often missed the first one, but I can't say I regretted selling it, you do what you need to do. Unless there is some unique sentimental value (e.g. you inherit a car a relative bought new), cars can always be replaced.

 

Where you are located in the US will also alter what you can command for one of these cars. I've only ever managed to sell two cars on ebay, and that was was back in 2003. For example, seems like cars in Texas are always a great deal.

 

The 4-speed is a plus, somewhat hard to find. The NOM doesn't really hurt it, IMO since the original motor was so weak.

I'd ask $11K-$13K, but realize that it will not be a quick sell and that I'll probably have to accept a bit less. You're looking for someone that just has to have a manual rather than the easier to find auto.

Where are you located? It makes a difference...

 

 

thanks a lot for all the input guys... the cars really nice, I love it, but yeah its been hard for me to save any money with all the bills piling up..

im in New York Westchester area, its decently hard to find a nice c3 around here, in fact I very rarely see them at all. maybe ill hang on to it for a bit more, or pop it online for a high price and see if I get any bites. I really take care of the car so when the time does come to sell it I think the buyer would be happy.

 

Geez, I wish my 81 looked that good. Very nice. Sadly, C-4s are much better cars, with prices cheaper than C3s...better car for less money. Unless someone just has to have this particular color and engine/trans (and is conveniently located), and has the cash on hand...it may be a while before you move it. But, you only have to find one person.... GLWS.

 

Assuming there aren't any rust problems, and everything checks out the way it was described, I think that car is worth about $12,000.
Too bad it wasn't around last year when I was in the market.

 

the whole c-4 vs c-3 thing is only opinion, the 4's may be cheaper than the 3's but that's because they don't have near the style the 3's have therefore not as popular, and demand drives value.

 

You have a nice car. You have added modifications to your liking; nothing wrong with that, but any potential buyer will have to want your car and want the changes you've made to it.

Good luck.

 

Jig,
You're right, the 4's "don't have near the style the 3's have"; they have more. Once again, my opinion. As a trained economist, at any point in time, supply has as much to do with determining value as does demand. Nice try.......

 

Sorry, but the C3's have it over the C4's, styling wise. My pristine, mint, beautiful 95' C4, doesn't get a 1/4 of the attention, that my faded, beat-to-hell 74' C3 gets, none, nada. I love my 95' for different reasons, than the 74'.

95': It is a superb freeway, interstate cruiser, that can tear it up in the canyons too. The handling is awesome and it easily pushes through slower traffic. The interior is very, very comfortable and it is great for long distance touring. Hardly anybody notices it, which is fine by me.

74' Rude, crude four speed, built small block with attitude and ***** to match. Gets attention wherever it goes, thumbs up, stares, people coming up to look at it at gas stations, etc. Unless you dump a ton of dough into it, no where near the handling capability of your average C4, nor the comfort. Only the late C3's approach the comfort factor.

 

I would have bought it at $11-13K a year ago when I was looking. I laughed at the "seems like cars in Texas are always a great deal" comment. It seems like the good deals are always two or more states away no matter where you live!

I had a devil of a time finding a decent late C3 for under $13K when I was looking. The ones I did find around $10K were usually horribly bubba-ed and road-weary... I searched for a year and finally purchased, but mine is in slightly worse condition then what you've posted here.

Best of luck in your decision.

 

I agree that the C4s sell for less because the interest is less. The styling of the C3 is much more popular in the Corvette market than the C4s, which really dont have much at all. Supply vs demand is an interesting take, but the clear preference of C3s to C4s in the market doesnt seem to be because there's less of them. Again, I suppose its all opinion.

The only Corvettes Ive ever lost money on were C4s, though. Its too bad too, because they are great drivers.

However, the topic of this thread is this guy's C3 for sale, so trying to stay on topic:

Its pretty, but as Mike said, the modifications make the buyers' pool a little more narrow. You might get something near what some people have suggested, but you will likely has to be patient and find that one person who likes your choice of custom paint and aftermarket engine.

If you arent in a hurry, thats the key with a modified car. Have you considered an auction like Mecum?

 

You're 100% correct Jig.

With that said, the '81 is a very well kept car. $10K is not unreasonable.

 

thanks again guys, really appreciate the input and comments... ill probably shoot around 13 for her when the time comes and see what happens.

 

I think you may be in the minority on that one as far as the general public's perception goes... but then again, I'm biased.

 

Nice! When you are ready to sell make another video showing the lights, AC, wipers and horn working. I would also have someone do a ride along holding the camera while you drive it. Also give a few revs of the engine. GLWTS