410racing

Guys,

I have an opportunity to purchase a 427/400 hp tri power that has sat since 2000. It is somewhat rough but definitely something to work with.

The owner has asked that I make her a fair offer as she needs the money for a custody suit.

The trim tag is missing but it appears to be an original red/red car. VIN and engine block are a match.

Interested in feedback on concerns and what would be a fair price for this car in current condition.

It is an automatic with PS, PB and PW. 67K miles.

Can answer other questions as well. Thanks in advance.

The13Bats

I would feel like I was shooting a fellow in a wheelchair if I grossly lowballed a lady trying to get funds to get her kids back...not saying you would but many would love to.
Several years ago people would get all a tingle and pay tall dollars ( or sometimes steal it ) for semi rare cars like this..then invest more tall dollars to restore it all numbers matching perfect and still turn "some" profit on it when they flip it.
But those days are for the most part gone,
I am not one of the people here who have magic powers and can tell condition of things I can not see and the pictures only tell me so much but what I know is 68 is one year only very pricey to restore correctly due to oddball parts one year only,
You would have to get a really great price and do most all the work yourself to restore this car and not have more in it than you could go buy one like it restored, if you go resto rod route and do not care about stock then you might build something really sweet worth more than invested,
All that "investment" bs passed, lets say this car is "just" what you want, you dreamed of a chrome bumper bb convertible for 30 years then it's worth more to you imho than it's worth to some cat who just wants to fix it up and flip it,
Since I can not see the rust situation i just can't say a dollar fig that is fair

Jud Chapin

What ever you do, keep in mind the auto tranny is a significant negative value wise. Check car values to determine how much.

Swimtexan

I would be hesitant with a missing trim tab and the fact that it is a 427/400. There are lots of "clones" out there, and you would be able to tell quickly by climbing underneath the car or looking at the rear end. Not to mention it is an automatic...

The13Bats

Over in that thread with the driver 68 someone said that in 68 they thought there were more bb's than sb's..true?
On this tranny thing which was there more of stick or auto?
Wouldnt the one that is fewer built be rarer and worth more desirability notwithstanding?

oldgto

Not to all buyers. 1968 production about 28600 cars, of which just over 5000 had auto trans. (Only 9400 small blocks Bats) So... if it`s original to the car, wouldn`t that make it more rare? Or was an auto never offered with a 427? I don`t know. But I do know this... the subject of stick VS. auto has been debated many times. It comes down to personal choice. I had fun when I was younger with rowing through the gears. Now I just want a relaxing cruise. One of the deciding factors on our decision to buy our 71 coupe.... because it has an automatic... which made the car MORE valuable to us!

70ZZ3 96LT4

I do not believe there were that many 1968's with the 427/400 engine option equipped with the turbo 400 automatic. I have owned a 1970 with a turbo 400 that I bought new off the showroom floor, I still like it. Strong transmission, 160,000 plus miles and still shifting strong first to second. This 1968 would make a nice driver.

ed427vette

Rarity does not equal more money. If rarity did equal more money then the 3 speed manual would be worth a fortune since so few were made.

Rarity also needs desirability to equal more money.

I think there were more 4 speeds with big blocks than autos.

How much does the auto diminish the value? Anyone?

7T1vette

VIN tag bothers me. And, lots of potential sellers use all kinds of 'heart tugs' to play on your sympathies.

With that car, I'd take a hike....

joewill

I think a automatic will sell lots quicker than most of you think...

the manual vehicles I have sold in that past were tough sells. maybe some of the baby boomers want manual, but almost all of the millennials that are starting to come into money looking to buy an old vette ( and we welcome the new blood) have no idea how to shift... I would buy an automatic in a minute.....

vettebuyer6369

I just dont care for deals where you get the emotional story and now you are responsible for calculating a "fair" offer. And 5 years from now when she's talking with some Mustang owner who says it was too low, you are still the bad guy.

I don't feel the need to both sell and buy a car.

If she wants input on value as a friend, I'd offer it. If she wants you to buy it, I'd ask her to try to come up with an asking price, then tell her why you think its too high if thats the case.

Alan 71

Hi,
7T1 mentioned the trim tag.
It looked odd to me too.
The tags were originally black and the rivets unpainted. The a-pillars were black too.
I can see the tip of one of the rivets…..unpainted…..good.
But the interior color paint on the tag, a-pillar, and on the a-pillar soft trim makes it appear that it was painted/dyed in place.
Not a sign of someone taking pride in what he's doing.
Just something to consider.
Regards,
Alan

Wrencher

That would seem to make sense, but my "64 GTO hardtop automatic was NOT easy to sell with the 2 speed auto. I sold it in '86 for 6K (what an ultramaroon!) and it took months because it didn't have a 4 speed.

The guy that did buy it (Boomer) need an auto so his wife could drive it. What a hoot, that car turned 12.8 on cheater slicks, mid 13's on wide T/A's, I would have loved to see the first time she laid into the angry pedal!

Hans

410racing

This car is now grossly misrepresented on Ebay. Please pass the word as I don't want to see someone get burned. I personally looked at this heap of junk.

I wouldn't mind if they accurately represented the car to potential buyers but this is a very poor car in person.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Chevrolet-Corvette-Red-Red-Convertible-1968-427-400-tripower-red-on-red-convertible-new-paint-top-/291377194725?forcerrptr=true&hash=item43d76f26e5&item=291377194725&pt=US_Cars_Trucks

7T1vette

Tried to 'polish' a turd???

LemansBlue68

So the car is now misrepresented because the owner decided not accept low ball offers and auction it on Ebay?

I looked at the ebay ad and saw nothing misleading. It certainly isn't perfect but there are no claims that it is. Anyone who's bidding nearly $27K had better have taken a look at it in person. If the seller finds someone who is willing to bid stupid money sight unseen, all the power to them. No warning from some guy on the CF who started off not knowing what to offer in the first place, is going to stop a serious buyer who has seen this car, knows what it is, and wants it.

Personally, I didn't think the car looked all that bad in the pictures. Probably a 3- from the looks of it. If it were mine, I'd think long and hard about taking any less than $30K for it. Matching number 427/400 C3's aren't all that plentiful and the red on red combination is certainly desirable. As far as auto vs. 4 spd, that's a matter of personal preference.

I don't think it's fair to bash the seller for misrepresentation when the car is available for all to see prior placing a bid.

According to this price guide, the current bids aren't that out of line:

http://www.hagerty.com/valuationtool...port?vbe=20248

My bet is the car will sell in the low $30's

410racing

Feel free to bid on it then. I was the guy asking for advice because I didn't know about these cars. It wasn't even listed on Ebay when I looked at it. After I viewed the car I saw a subsequent ad on ebay that grossly misrepresented the car. I'm just trying to protect anyone that can't come to CA to personally view the car. They are grossly misrepresenting the car and following some research on the seller I smell a huge scam. Once again, buyer beware but it may be the deal of the century according to you. Good luck!

ed427vette

I disagree. I don't think it will actually sell for anywhere near 30k regardless of how high the bid gets. The sale will probably not go through even assuming it hits the reserve. Happens all the time on eBay. It may LOOK like it sold. But all of a sudden it gets relisted.

Without some real documentation there is no way to prove it was red on red since there is no trim tag. Red on red. Is it really that special anyway?

And I appreciate any warning a member here has regarding a car for sale. I don't think there is anything wrong with him giving his opinion when he actually saw the car itself. No doubt its misrepresented. Not many cars are given the real story when put up for sale.

LemansBlue68

We are all better off because of your vigilance. Thank you for your concern!

I didn't say it was a deal of the century but I see no evidence of it being misrepresented, either.

I smell somewhere here for sure. I'm just not sure whether it's your's or the sellers.

I don't know about those in agreement with 410, but I always take my advice from someone looking for advice. Have a great day!

LemansBlue68

Just thought I’d provide a ttt and an update to this thread since my comments were so warmly received earlier:

1) It seems the “Grossly Misrepresented”, subject ’68 L68 Corvette has sold for $29,000. The allegedly dishonest seller has lowered their reserve to what I claimed previously was a fair price for this car. My estimate was within 5%...close enough. The deal may still fall through, but that’s not unique to ebay or any other private deals.

2) It seems there was some hasty disagreement with my value estimate which I supported with a reputable appraisal list. Those in disagreement supported their positions with such respected sources as:
a.
b.
c.
d. Their (_!_)

3) I normally avoid the “what’s it worth?” threads because they inevitably involve a NOOB, who is either too lazy to do their own investigation or they want validation as to why ( Pick one):

a. Their prospective buyer has offered too little.

b. The seller won’t accept their low ball offer.

This thread didn’t disappoint. I got suckered in because the car was interesting to me.

4) The details that some of the “experts” noted such as missing trim tag and body color painted VIN tag were really non-starters.

a. Trim tags can be, and are, reproduced. There’s nothing illegal about it. If you’d like a reproduction build sheet or window sticker you can get those too. Make sure to specify that yours be “weathered” (for display purposes only, of course). It takes a lot of effort to make an undetectable paint color change and it doesn’t appear that anywhere near that level of effort was ever made with this car.

b. The VIN tag on my ’68 is body color painted as well. I have no reason to believe that it has ever been altered since I know the car’s ownership history and it was wearing its original paint (albeit poor) when I bought it. To assert that all VIN tags should be black with unpainted rivets leaves open all kinds of possible exceptions: inconsistency in how these cars were masked at the factory during painting—variation over the model years, working shift, or even the painter at the factory.

c. I hate to disrespect our beloved Chevy’s, but I find the ****-ness about originality almost humorous. Of all classic vehicles out there, Chevy’s are probably the easiest to clone. If the holy grail of production records is ever uncovered for Chevy’s, I suspect many of the owners of some “rare and exclusive” ones will be staring down at their shoelaces in disappointment.

5) The time it took the OP to take exception to my questioning of his credibility was about the same amount of time that it took for him to question the credibility of the seller, in other words, nanoseconds.

My assertions weren’t without precedent. I have a friend who flips vintage Hi-Fi equipment who had a Craigslist troll accuse him of selling stolen merchandise. After some detective work my friend found that his troll was into the same business, and had met my friend at an estate auction. The troll was angry at being out bid and saw my friend’s CL for-sale listing for the equipment they were competing for. The point being, it has become far too easy to use the internet to promote smear campaigns and the unfamiliar don’t know who’s telling the lie.

6) I thought the Seller should at least be given the opportunity to "discuss" the accusations made by the Buyer (OP) so I sent her some questions about the car. She replied much more diplomatically than I would have if it were my ad in question:

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...f-this-ad.html

7) If the candor of my responses in this thread have offended anyone, that’s their problem.

8) Have a nice day!!