Looking for some help with a C3 purchase. Have been searching and researching for a while now (including the 10 rules for buying your first C3 in the sticky). I've located a pretty good one, I think, but could use some help. Sorry for the long read, but am trying to be thorough. Questions are highlighted below and pictures are included. Any and all feedback is welcome. Thanks for your help.

Here's what I know...

1970 Coupe, Bridgehampton Blue, with black interior. Trim tag matches.
odometer reads 37,000 (not sure if it's 37 or 137)
350ci/300hp
Manual windows, locks and brakes.
4-speed, with power steering and A/C.
Pretty well documented. Copies of previous titles, protect-o-plate, owners manual. Only a few receipts. Current owner has had it for the last 15 years.
VIN numbers match. Stamp pad has paint over the numbers. Still easy to read. All of the stamp pads I've seen are bare metal. Does this indicate a previous restoration?
June production date seems consistent with later VIN number. Is that accurate?
Suffix is correct for 350/300 car (CTD).
Small amount of oil residue near valve covers, otherwise super clean. Undercarriage seems a little oily. Probably a small oil leak. Any other ideas?
Exhaust manifold looks nearly brand new.
Mufflers look new or painted. Exhaust pipes show surface rust. Probably original.
Radiator is thought to be original. Looks pretty bad. Noticed small leak on drivers side after test driving it. Couldn't see the source from up top. Hoses looked good, so I think it the radiator itself.
All A/C components in place. Seller says that it definitely needs a recharge. Can you get R12 Freon anymore? Noticed fan was a 5-blade fan. I thought A/C cars had a 6 blade fan? Fan clutch looked really clean and new. Possibly a new fan at some point?
Gear shifts were smooth, but had a lot of play when in neutral. Feels like little to no spring to keep the shift centered. Is this normal?
Lights had trouble opening and closing. Needed manual assistance to open. Possibly a vacuum leak. Is his a big deal to repair?
Didn't check the windshield wipers. Seller said they work, but after seeing the head lights, I have my doubts about the vacuum system.
Battery is 10 years old and was a little weak on start up. Will definitely get a new one.
Interior is near perfect.
Side and rear glass look to be original and are crystal clear. Windows rolled up and down.Windshield is in great shape, not sure if it's original.
I couldn't feel any excessive fiberglass build up or cracks under the fenders, which I think would indicate damage/repairs.
Paint was shiny, but there were plenty of blemishes. Definitely not a trailer queen. Small spider cracks in several areas. Notice a blue tint (possible overspray) on the VIN tag on the driver's door. Would this indicate a repaint at some time?
I couldn't find evidence of rust when sticking my fingers in holes in the frame. All appeared to be clean, except for the little amounts of oil residue.
Frame looked pretty clean. I didn't see any patches. Color was closer to black. It didn't look like undercoating, more like a flat black spray paint. Is that normal?
Noticed a squeak coming from the rear, when driving. Sounded like it was coming from the wheels when they were rolling. Could this be a failing bearing? Is that a big deal to fix?
Seller said suspension hadn't been overhauled since he'd had it (about 15 yrs.). Bushings were dry rotted and needed to be replaced.
Tires are 1 year old.
All lights worked. Not sure about fiber optics (turn signal fiber optics worked for sure, just couldn't tell on others).
Gauges appeared to be in working order.
Clock was broken - of course.

 

Hi C,
It appears you've really been doing your homework!
The car looks nice overall but certainly has many, many, small issues. There are some that may or may not need attention. And some (like the paint) will depend on you and what you want the car to be.
A few questions for you!
What are you looking for in a car?
How is this car being described by the seller?
Is whether the car has the engine/transmission it left St. Louis with of importance to you?
Are you looking for a car that will require 'tinkering' or one that you'll just want to drive?
Will you want to 'show' the car or have it 'judged' at some time in the future?
What is your budget?
What is the price of this car?
So?
Regards,
Alan

The interior looks like it's been 'freshened-up' with a can of semi-gloss black paint!

 

Looks like a nice, unmolested 70.

 

A lot of small ****ling little details, but overall, a really nice looking C3. There are very few 'perfect' C3's. 90% of them, will always have something in varying degrees. Also, you should know, that owning a C3, means that there's always something to find, fix, refurbish or replace on these cars. That's just part of the C3,experience. It's good,to have mechanical and electrical skills or a trustworthy mechanic and deep pockets, because you will be wrenching on this car, count on it.

 

A few things.

1. Good that it looks like no one ever jacked the car up on the front crossmember, mine is crushed a little.
2. The valve covers are prone to leak, but a good gasket will take care of that.
3. The oil on the undercarriage could be the valve cover gaskets, rear main seal, intake manifold gasket or distributor. Other possibility is leaking manual trans.

 

Alan,
Thanks for the response. All good questions and definitely things to consider.
I'm looking for a car that I can drive to a local show/get together or just for short trips here and there. Not planning on a Crusin' Coast or Hot Rod tour. I like to tinker and would like for the car to be around when my son get's old enough to tinker around on it with me. I grew up around mechanics and have enough skills to get myself in trouble. Minor things don't scare me, but I have no business opening up a motor - although I haven't totally ruled that out . I would like the born-with motor/transmission, just because I think it's kind of cool knowing that it's original and has some history. I'm very **** about keeping my vehicles super clean, but in a strange way, the paint blemishes don't really bother me on a classic car. They would bother me less if I knew it was original paint, but there's no records on it, so I guess I need to look closer for signs of a re-paint. Budget is where it gets tricky. I really wanted to keep the initial costs south of $25K, knowing that there is usually something that needs to be fixed. I'm finding out quickly, that it is hard to find something in that range that doesn't need a ton of work. The seller is asking for a price over my price range, but I'm hoping to negotiate a better price, if I decide to go with this one. If it doesn't work out, then it doesn't work out. It won't be the end of the world and another one will come around. The seller has been pretty straight forward with me. He is no mechanic and has shown me a binder that he has of the original documents and some receipts. Judging by the mileage on the car and the mileage on the title when he purchased it, he hasn't spent a lot of time behind the wheel in the last 15 years...or the odometer has been tampered with. Many mechanical questions that I asked seemed over his head, so I don't think he's personally messed with the car. Any thoughts on value of this car being over $25K?

 

Thanks for your response. Before making any offer, I will certainly take another look over the car and will be looking around the transmission. Valve covers and gaskets are simple things... not worried about that. Probably needs to be done anyway. I'm sure a little carb work is in order, too.

 

Value and asking price can be two different things.

Good luck.

 

For what see on all those pics that car looks good in overall conditions for the age of car it does not look like the previous owners were taking excessive care of her.
The interior it looks recently redone but it looks good.
On my own judgment I believe 25k it's over priced do the minor little issues of painting. To get a good paint job by a proffecional you're looking at least a minimum price of 8k
They might be asking 25k because it's a 70 and we all know that chrome bumpers cars are inflated price.
My self I would do an offer of 20k
If not I would keep looking for more if I want to spend 25k

 

Thanks for the replies and insight.

 

Rookie comment: C3 Corvettes are the only cars that NEED to have oil leaks in the engine compartment (the oil travels rearward and keeps the frame from rotting out)!

 

Ha Ha. So, no concern there!

 

I agree. The oil is costing me a small fortune but my frame is like new!