hey guys, been a big fan of the c3 vettes for a few years now, just graduated and am finally getting ready to spring on one of these beauties, but could definitely use some help in terms of pricing and what to look for.

i have one in perticular im looking at in my area, its a 76 with 110k km on it. its an l48. ive seen the car in person and the body is in great shape, barely any noticeable problems. The interior isnt great and id probably have to replace both seats, and potentially the carpets. The guy has put some money into it too though

"Brought up from Tennessee in 2010 from a friend. Numbers matching. New brake calipers and brakes all round, new rear shocks, aluminum intake, 700cfm carb, headers, aligned, electric fan, chrome valve covers and many more parts replaced. Over 14K invested. Comes with all the original parts that were replaced."


id be taking it to a mechanic before finalizing any deal anyways, and i know a few things to look for specifically the frame and birdcage (is there anything else i should make sure about?)

also took a look at the http://www.hagerty.com/valuationtool...port?vc=579952

for it. it seems like it would not even quite fit under category four if i had to guess. Hes asking 9500 and has been trying to sell for 2 years or so now, is it absurd to offer 5-6?


sorry if this type of post isnt allowed or if it breaks any of the forum rules please go ahead and delete, just trying to soak up some of the knowlege here before making a buy.


Thanks alot
Jordan

 

Does it matter? He can ask what he wants. You can offer what you want.

Good luck.

 

No it's not absurd to offer 5-6K for it, you've got to start somewhere and not having seen the car it's likely not worth much more than that anyway.

 

Where you located? It would be very beneficial to have an existing C3 owner look at it with you to walk around and point out any issues present and future.

Is this going to be your daily driver or a weekend car?
Keep in mine, these cars are old and need a lot of time to maintain and/or repair.

 

And depending on where you live they can be HOT as hell on the inside. Some of us are fighting this and coming up with solutions... Sorry, had to throw that in

 

located around toronto in canada.

thanks for the posts guys.

easy mike- yeah i just dont want to come across like im lowballing or being a dick or anything like that

 

$6,000 isn`t exactly insulting for a 76 with 65,000miles in our area. The car may be worth more, but, an offer needs to start low and work towards middle ground. If you are serious about it, and after having a very good look, start the negotiation process with `Ì`m very interested and I`d like to offer you $______ cash`and go from there. He will come back with a counter offer which may be much lower than he has been asking; depending on how long he`s been trying to sell it.

I missed a very clean white 76 auto coupe in Kitchener last year by 10 minutes that sold for $6500. There are a few rubber bumper drivers for $6,000-$8,000 on Kijiji, so, you are not off base much. Good luck!

 

If you can post some pictures it would be helpful. I would also read the sticky on buying a C-3. If you aren't real familiar with these cars I would do as others have suggested and have someone go with you to look. You might pm Paul74 who lives in Ontario for info on clubs in your area or possible individuals that might help in evaluating the car.

 

no5t greatest pic, only one provided tho

i did see it in person a little less than two years ago though when i was considering the same car, the body was immaculate but when we took it to our mechanic it came back with a bunch of issues so im trying to dig up that paper to see exactly what was wrong/how severe it is.

when i take another look at it ill inquire into the more specifics of it now that i have a little bit more knowlege of what to look at.


also saw this one which seems like a pretty good deal:

http://cars-on-line.com/73117.html


got in touch with the seller and he replied with: Front rubber bumper is showing some cracks as all these 73 tend to do over the years could be rectified with a bra if you want a quick fix. Some work on the electrical is needed to get the power windows to work consistently, tempermental ... and the vacuum pop-up lights need some attention to, also a common issue for these vettes.

Overall, its a good driver and a fun car to drive around with during the summer especially with the T-Tops off. I drove it back from Ottawa over 450km and had no issues with it and lots of fun driving it.

seems like all minor fixes more than anything

 

The blue 76 looks to be in pretty good condition and may be well worth a good look; especially if you can get it for your lower offer.

The 73 is also nice, but, for that price will need a more thorough inspection. It is obviously not original any longer with the wheels and, well, black was not a factory colour! Just some things to think about.
I`m sort of biased toward 73`s!

 

Nice looking car. To state the obvious and aforementioned, the repaint. Was it stripped and repainted or a quick spray to resell? If its important to you, check the trim tag in the drivers door for correct paint and interior color codes.

Any previous bodywork? Look up from the bottom around the headlights, check for repairs to the body. Also in the rear, above the mufflers, near where the radio antenna would be (each side) look for bodywork done. Should be smooth inside.

Pace car 3pc spoiler in the front. Cant tell whats out back. Original rear end?

When you go to have a look at the car take phillips (#2?) screwdriver with you to remove the trim pieces beside where your anlkes are if your driving. Look inside there for frame rot. Take a highpower flashlight with you and look through the windshield between the inside trim and the glass, ablve and below where the VIN tag is. Check for surface rust there. They'll give you an indication of if water is getting in anywhere.

Rear wheelwells, at the 2o'clock position, check for Driver and Pass side #4 body mount rot. The rubber and the metal bracket. #1 and #3 mounts are harder to see and involve a bit more digging.

Under your @ss when seated, where the frame section meets the cross member, there is a notorious spot for frame rot. Lay on your back, have a look if you can and point your light up in there. Poke with screwdriver for a solid sound.

Questions to ask owner:

Rear end ever rebuilt?
Trailing arms ever rebuilt?
Rear wheel bearings done?
Front WB ever done?
How much "slop" (if any) in the steering? (start the car and see if the steering wheel moves much before the wheels start to turn)
Gas tank ever replaced?

Check Kijiji.
http://www.kijiji.ca/b-classic-cars/...k0c122l9004a95

This one is near me, I know the guy selling it. Price is a bit out to lunch though.
http://www.kijiji.ca/v-classic-cars/...ette/597718743

dodosmike

 

thanks for the replies guys. I had checked kijiji before but never in the classic car section, its showing up with alot more hits.

http://www.kijiji.ca/v-classic-cars/...ationFlag=true

http://www.kijiji.ca/v-classic-cars/...ationFlag=true


these both seem to be reasonably prices as well from what i can tell.

Thanks again for the replies guys
Jordan

 

i'm also a new looker...trying to educate myself in all this.
sat i drove my 1st corvette: a 78.
the guy wanted $5000 for it.
my friend who's a mechanic and i showed him the pics, said it was worth
about $500.
no idea how his sale will go.
i won't be buying it (it has issues: no ac, paint down to primer, headlights don't work, gauges don't work, odometer doesn't work, etc)....

i think one thing to do is to really look at sales to see what people are asking for based on the condition of car and mileage (ebay, craigs list, vette sales here, etc)
obvious the thing w/ these cars, they are generally 35 yrs old or more...
good luck!

 

Not sure if you have checked out the Sticky Notes section and specifically the 10 rules of buying a Corvette (C3). Personally, I think it was great advice and I used in when I bought my Corvette 2+ years ago. I live in the GTA area as well and the challenge with Canadian Cars and any Northern & Sea areas in the US is the rust in the bird cage and overall undercarriage. Restoring and updating these cars in Canada is not as beneficial as our US friends due to the exchange/brokerage/shipping fees when applicable. My advise is to purchase the best car you can afford. These cars are over 30 years old and no matter what you purchase, you should be prepared to spend money on further fixes or improvements. Good luck with your purchase.

 

yeah i took a look at that, and will probably give it a few read overs once I'm money in hand. Thanks again for all the help guys, makin me feel a lot more comfortable with what amount i should be gunning for and stuff like that.

something else that i was considering but don't have any knowledge about really is an engine swap. I know the blue one i posted has an older l82, and I've heard that ls1/ls2 swaps are really popular. Any one done this before or know what it entails/the approx cost? Im far from a mechanic and wouldn't be able to do it myself unless i became a savant over night lol, but would any mechanic be able to do it or?

 

http://www.kijiji.ca/v-classic-cars/...wray/602093273


just got off the phone about that one. my feel for it is that it needs some work on the interior, and the rear rubber bumper has some cracks from age. other than that runs great etc. gonna take a look at it when im back in ottawa in a few weeks if its still for sale. Any thoughts? asking is 6200 but im pretty sure i can get it for a decent bit cheaper than that.

 

Just as a comparison. I paid 7,500 for my 74 2 years ago.

The problem is you have no idea what you are buying until you start taking it apart. To start with something that is broken just adds to the surprise.

When I got mine, the interior was good, the seats were well worn vinyl but I planned on changing them to leather anyways (still have not done that). The seats in these old cars are CRAP. it's like sitting on a board with some foam stapled on.

I had no idea what I had until I took it in for certification. I had a leaky caliper, wiper motor did not work, the drivers window did not go all the way down, parking brake didn't stop the wheels from turning and the speedometer did not work. All of these had to be fixed for certification.

The calipers were 125.00 each, wiper motor and pump were 100.00. When taking off the calipers, the solid brake lines broke, that was another 25.00. Stainless steel parking brake kit was 50.00. Speedo cable was 75.00. There was a strange bolt inside the door stopping the window from coming all the way down, I just removed it.

Once I started getting into it, I found out the front end had been in an accident and the left was 1" further back than the other side...You could see this because the tire was further back in the wheel well but I didn't notice this for several months. Fortunately, it only cost me 200.00 to have it fixed at the local body shop.

My power steering control valve is now leaking. that was another 200.00 to get the part from the states, still haven't got it installed. I see a leak in my rear seal on the differential, that is 2 hours labor plus a few dollars for the parts. I just got a set of used Aluminum rims for 350.00 and bought brand new tires yesterday for 750.00 because the original ones were from 1998.

I have owned the car for 2 years now and I have driven it maybe 50 Km. I don't care. I love it and it will be with me forever. I decided last year to pull the interior to install a new stereo, speakers, LED dash lights, floor insulation, new parking brake console (it was broken because the previous owner didn't spend the extra 20.00 for the support bracket). The interior is getting close to being all back into the car. I bought Fiero seats because I couldn't take hard original seats, but they still have the original cloth on them for now. I will order the leather package from Mr. Mike...another 800.00.

My point is really you have no idea what you will be buying until you have had it for a while. Everything can be fixed. It's just how high your expectations are. If you think you are going to get a car for 5000 and drive it everyday...forget it. If you are looking for a car that you can work on and be proud of for the next 20 years, good plan getting a vette.

My front end was replaced a while back with a fiberglass one. Probably when the front was hit. The rear bumper was replaced by the previous owner before I got the car. It cost him almost 2000 for the bumper and paint.

Before you buy anything, make a list if what you KNOW needs replacing. Then go on line to www.CorvetteDepot.ca and check out the prices. they may not me the best price, but the duty has already been paid so they are close to what it would cost.

Ken

 

http://www.kijiji.ca/v-classic-cars/...oupe/599157187

what do you guys think of this one? Probably going to see it in the next couple weeks. Talking with the seller he presents it as turn key ready.

 

That is a nice car for 10,500. The engine is at least 5k worth of work and the fact that it is a BB is awsome, the interior being done saves about 2K. Rear wheels saves about 300, even though they are small (look like 245/60), you can always move them to the front and get wider rears (my opinion). New brakes, new exhaust all add up to at least 500. The interior is premium, the door skins alone are 400 each.

Does it come certified? If not why?
Do the numbers Match? not that it matters, but tells you that the engine was original or a replacement.
Before you buy it, insist on the used car kit from MTO.

Take a mirror with you to check out the under carriage. Grab the rocker panel when you are sitting in the drivers seat and see if it rocks (rotten). There will be rust, but as long as it is not flaky and falling off, it will be solid.

By now you should have read the Ten Rules For Buying Your First C3 Corvette sticky.

Ask the guy to be honest and tell you what isn't working or will need fixing over the next few years.

Ken

PS, I don't by the 60k KMS...more line 60K Miles.

 

It does look like one of your better choices so far and might appraise out at around $14k-$15k in our area. A few things to add to Ken's spot on comments. It is a 400 small block, so, not the original engine. No big deal unless you are into numbers and NCRS cars. Even the colour is questionable as to originality as Chev didn't have black as a dealer option for several years, but, not sure when it was reintroduced.

Other than a few originality issues it looks like a very nice car even at the asking price (certified!). You might try an offer of say $9,000 and see what he comes back with. Keep in mind the need for a professional appraisal (about $250) for taxes and insurance and the taxes themselves!!