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A 1974 C3 recently showed up on the lot of a local car dealer near me. I have always been fond of the C3's so i stopped to take a look at it today. I have read the 10 steps to buying a corvette in this forum and it was a great help in what to look for. This particular C3 is by no means a show winning car and appears to need some TLC. But I'm not sure if the problems are too many and I should just move on and keep looking. The dealer wasn't much help about the history of the car. From what I can tell the car was repainted sometime in its life and it is starting to peal on the lower rear of the front corner panel on the driver side. The rear taillights have been busted out. The dealer said they were not broken when the car was traded in and must have been vandalized during the night. The frame appeared to be solid. It looks like the undercoating was just starting to flake off and very minute amount of surface rust on those spots. I also stuck my finger in the keyholes of the frame and there was no rust on the inside. I wasn't able to get a good look at the birdcage. The dealer didn't want me taking the kick panel off of the car. Is there any other way to check this? The interior is in decent shape, only some minor cracks on the door panels. The Power windows, A/C, Headlights, and wipers all work. The car started up no problem and ran smooth. No smoke coming from the exhaust. The dealer said the car only has 48k miles. On the test drive i noticed that the tach did not work and the steering wheel had quite a bit of slop (about 1.5- 2") The asking price for the car is $8,995. Is this car worth taking a second look at or should i forget about it and keep looking. What price should a car in this condition actually be? My gut is saying to move on but I would appreciate some advice. Thank you for your input.
Can you post more pictures of the front end? If you look at the door jam, and the shot of the motor, you can see where a portion of the front clip was cut at one time (lower right corner) which would only be done if the car was wrecked. I would check the front end again, and again. Tach probably just needs a new gear that fits in the distributor to work. Tail lights would need to be replaced, but you could use that as leverage. It looks fairly original, and I would say that the mileage is correct and not 147,000. My '72 with 50,000 miles has a minor crack like that on the door panels. The engine looks original, still has the smog pump, etc.
It is missing the rear fuel door emblem. So I would say it has been repainted for sure.
If it looks like the frame is solid and damaged from a front end, and you like it and can get it for less than $8,000, then any money you save you can invest into addressing any issues.
Even though it might have paint issues, it does look like a decent one, and the interior from what you showed, looks decent as well. So if you offered them $7,000 and you printed off some ads of other cars for the same money, you probably could get the price down. Now if the car has had some extensive damages to the front end and kinda of crappy repairs…then I would pass.
I agree with the others here. I own a '74 too and you should know that part of the C3 ownership experience, is spending money on it, quite regularly. After all, even with the supposed low mileage, there's a lot of natural, wear, tear and detoriation, that goes on, with these cars. Hopefully, you're good mechanically with automobiles as well, because it gets really expensive farming it out. They are fun, sexy looking cars, that can be a blast to drive. I'm just making sure you know what you're getting into. Somebody said in a thread today, that it's a labor of love and this is true. You should also check what's available on Craigslist and for sure, if you can drive a stick shift manual trans, try one of those out too. Good luck in your search and keep us posted!
I agree with the others here. I own a '74 too and you should know that part of the C3 ownership experience, is spending money on it, quite regularly. After all, even with the supposed low mileage, there's a lot of natural, wear, tear and detoriation, that goes on, with these cars. Hopefully, you're good mechanically with automobiles as well, because it gets really expensive farming it out. They are fun, sexy looking cars, that can be a blast to drive. I'm just making sure you know what you're getting into. Somebody said in a thread today, that it's a labor of love and this is true. You should also check what's available on Craigslist and for sure, if you can drive a stick shift manual trans, try one of those out too. Good luck in your search and keep us posted!
I saw this formula in another thread: If you buy that car for $7.5K and put another $20K into it, you should be able to sell it for $12K someday.
All kidding aside... be prepared, they are a hobby car or labor of love, whichever way you want look at it.
The advice F22 gave you is excellent... they need constant attention and check out and drive as many as you can before you buy.
2025 c3 ('74-'82) of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2019 C3 of Year Finalist (appearance mods)
Originally Posted by Brass Pass
I saw this formula in another thread: If you buy that car for $7.5K and put another $20K into it, you should be able to sell it for $12K someday.
All kidding aside... be prepared, they are a hobby car or labor of love, whichever way you want look at it.
The advice F22 gave you is excellent... they need constant attention and check out and drive as many as you can before you buy.
Good luck!
All the above is true but if you never had a Vette and you buy it you will find out why it is so much fun!
A 74 is 40 years old, that car is need of TLC but in the $9,000 or less price range you won't find much better.
It is missing the rear fuel door emblem. So I would say it has been repainted for sure.
and best of luck.
Brandon,
The '74 is the only year that did NOT have an emblem on the fuel door. Car was originally Classic White with a black leather interior, according to the trim plate. I have three '74s and from the photos, it looks pretty original.
It's hard to see the tail lights, but the '74 was the only year to have tail lights that had no screws holding them in. They were attached from the inside, so if you want to buy this car and keep it looking correct, you need to buy 1974 tail lights.
The engine bay looks original and cared for, so I think that the salesman is not trying to sell you a bodgy car. Overall, it looks in good condition for its age. I agree with the others, get some photos of similar cars with lower price tags and see if you can negotiate. Before you do though, find a knowledgeable Corvette person to have a look at the chassis to make sure it's in a roadworthy condition.
For what it's worth, similar C3's in my area are about this same price, give or take $1K...but most don't look as nice as yours. I'm actually a bit surprised that the Dealer's price is only $9K. From the photos, it looks like the car has been really well maintained. The interior issues that I can see in the photo look more like "normal use wear" rather than weather aged.
Most Dealer's will work with you on price of course, so potentially you're looking at $8K. From what I've seen on my "shopping trip" so far, and from what I can tell by looking at in the photos, you're getting a bargain compared to anything around here privately sold
Give it a thorough look-over and go with your gut. Looks good to me from over here!
Doesn't look too bad but I suspect it's had a front clip put on. (evidenced by the pulling away in the door jam)
If I was interested I'd make sure it was put on a lift for a thorough under car inspection. You said the steering seem loose. Make sure to check for cracking around the steering box and lower control arm mounting
I wasn't able to get a good look at the birdcage. The dealer didn't want me taking the kick panel off of the car. Is there any other way to check this?
If all else checks out, make an offer contingent upon you having access to and inspecting the bird cage. You could even write that on his contract if need be. Example: "offer contingent upon inspection and approval of the condition of.... If found not acceptable to buyer, buyer has the right to void this agreement and receive full refund of any down payment money" My wording was off the cuff, but you get it.
From: St Louis MO http://1972corvetterestomod.blogspot.com/
Originally Posted by David Mc
L82?
Doesn't look too bad but I suspect it's had a front clip put on. (evidenced by the pulling away in the door jam)
If I was interested I'd make sure it was put on a lift for a thorough under car inspection. You said the steering seem loose. Make sure to check for cracking around the steering box and lower control arm mounting
could need a new rag joint and steering box rebuild too.
Point blank, there's a lot to like about that car. And the guy doesn't seem to be gunning for the jugular on the price.
It's literally 4 screws to take the sill plate off, then the kick panel pops right out...he won't let you do that? Shame.
I'd look for some evidence of welding on the frame. If it is a "front clip" car, that'd be a tough sell. If it's whole, running, driving, and otherwise happy, then you're heading in the right direction.
ANY evidence of a prior crash would bother me a bit. I knew my car was in an accident, but was a little dismissive of it. Now I'm replacing my frame. It isn't the end of the world...I got my car for a REALLY good price...but for $9k on a 1974, I'd want to be sure I wasn't buying a headache. Well...any MORE of a headache than these cars NORMALLY represent!!!!
$9k feels a little 'strong', but is in the hunt. If you like the car, I'd see where the conversation heads...
Last edited by keithinspace; Jul 18, 2014 at 11:29 AM.
could need a new rag joint and steering box rebuild too.
The way the steering felt I think you are right about this. If I decide to make an offer I already told the dealer I was going to take the car to a friends garage and put it up on a lift to do a more thorough inspection. This is the first corvette I actually drove so I dont have anything to really compare it to. I looked on Craigslist and there appears to be a few other C3's in the area. I may try and make time and take a look at those before making any kind of decision.
Thank you all for your input, I really appreciate your help.
From: St Louis MO http://1972corvetterestomod.blogspot.com/
Originally Posted by jdunfee
The way the steering felt I think you are right about this. If I decide to make an offer I already told the dealer I was going to take the car to a friends garage and put it up on a lift to do a more thorough inspection. This is the first corvette I actually drove so I dont have anything to really compare it to. I looked on Craigslist and there appears to be a few other C3's in the area. I may try and make time and take a look at those before making any kind of decision.
Thank you all for your input, I really appreciate your help.
most of these C3's have loose steering and there is all kinds of threads here about various fixes. Good luck! I like the car so far.
How long did you drive the car? Did you go through all the gears? Did you try to stop from any speed? Does it stop straight or not. How's the acceleration - quick or laggy? Any mechanical noises you hear? What's the condition of the interior - ok, or need to be redone?
What are we looking at in picture 3?
Tach broken or not, unless there's a paper trail, mileage is a crap shoot. I could be 40K miles, 140K miles, or any mileage whatsoever.
I'm also a rookie, and just purchased a 1969 after a 9 month search, a ton of research, and lots of driving different years. That experience was invaluable. Every car I drove taught me something else. I'd be VERY reluctant to recommend, regardless how nice or not a car, that you buy the first C3 you drive. You won't have any idea of whether this one is worth its salt until you drive at least 5, and better to drive at least 10 - the more the better. I didn't get a sense of "aha - that's how it's supposed to drive" until around #6.
Last edited by harmonyp; Jul 18, 2014 at 07:24 PM.
How long did you drive the car? Did you go through all the gears? Did you try to stop from any speed? Does it stop straight or not. How's the acceleration - quick or laggy? Any mechanical noises you hear? What's the condition of the interior - ok, or need to be redone?
What are we looking at in picture 3?
Tach broken or not, unless there's a paper trail, mileage is a crap shoot. I could be 40K miles, 140K miles, or any mileage whatsoever.
I'm also a rookie, and just purchased a 1969 after a 9 month search, a ton of research, and lots of driving different years. That experience was invaluable. Every car I drove taught me something else. I'd be VERY reluctant to recommend, regardless how nice or not a car, that you buy the first C3 you drive. You won't have any idea of whether this one is worth its salt until you drive at least 5, and better to drive at least 10 - the more the better. I didn't get a sense of "aha - that's how it's supposed to drive" until around #6.
I drove the car for quite a while. I took it on the freeway and it drove nice cruising at 70mph. It accelerated very smooth and the transmission didn't seem to slip, It shifted quickly from one gear to another and no clunking.
The brakes felt good the car stopped straight and there was no sign of it trying to pull to one side. The interior looked very good for a 40 year old car. The only signs of wear were on the door panels that were in one of the pictures
The 3rd picture is of the frame. It was the best I could do laying on the ground with my phone.
It does have the L82.
I am planning on taking the car on monday and putting it on a lift so I can get a better look at it and make sure i didn't miss anything.
I have looked at a couple other C3's in the area for sale for the same amount and they don't seem as in nice of shape or as original as this one.
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Some advice on a C3
and best of luck.
