Greetings:

I need some advice
I looked at a orange 75 vette today, it is in good condition with 118,000 miles.
He is asking $10,000 for it.

All the gauges and windows work, yes even the clock, excellent paint and original interior, no frame rust, new exhaust system. Bushings are ok, engine clean and original motor. Shocks fairly new.
Smooth ride too, smoother than my C4.

It has 4 problems:

1. It pulls to the left some; I drove it for abt 5 miles. (Alighnment?)
2. AC it blows air, but not cold (recharge?)
3. Brakes (when I slowed down for a speed bump the back tire skidded some on a dirt road. Pedal not spongy though.
4. Tires, they looked good but He doesn’t know how old they are, the PO is dead, old fellow.

I need to buy it tomorrow, but I will bring $9000 cash to throw at him.

Two questions:

1. is $9000 too much to pay?
2. Are the above-mentioned problems costly or should I walk away from this?

2 1/2. How much would the 4 problems cost? ball park figure please.

Thanx in advance, God Bless


A

 

Do you have any pics of this car that you can post? Without them, it will be very difficult to determine if $9K is too much to pay.

 

I just restored a 75 coupe original 31 K mile car L48 auto that sat for the last 19yrs paid $3,500 $9,000 as it sits now. It might be a $11K car with better paint
Do not run tires that are over 5 years old I paid $600 for new BFG 255 60 R15 & $80 to have mounted & balanced
AC recharge can be $75 to 300 or more
Alignment front & rear $150 Brakes depends on how deep you go



Good luck

 

My 2 cents and IMHO....

1. Rust is always my biggest concern, I would pull the kick panels and interior windshield trim and see if there is any rust (if you have not done so already). Also inspect the windshield frame as much as possible with a strong light. If you see any windshield frame rust, you can bet it is worse where you can not see. Ask the owner if and when the windshield was last replaced. Some say you can put a clean white towel down over the seat or front and slam the door a couple of times and if you see rust particles, that is a concern.

2. I try to check out at least 6 or 8 Corvettes when I am in the market for a Corvette. This helps, for me anyway, to try to keep this a little more objective, lol's. Cash is king and half the fun is looking. So, I try to avoid these "must buy today" situations, that is always a red flag for me. For what he is asking, odds are very good it will still be for sale next week.

3. Check prices for 75's, on completed ebay sales, asking prices here and on the internet. 9 is a good number I think for a 75 in great condition. My tea leaves say 8 would be a good deal and 10 is too much unless really really really exceptional. I would add 1 or 2 if this is a convertible. L82 and 4sp adds a little too.

4. Try to find a knowledgeable C3 person to go with you to check it out. No matter how knowledgeable you are, it is easy to see the C3 on sale as the doggie in the window.

5. As for the repairs, all sound typical for C3's to me. You want to check to see if it is pulling due to a bent frame, accident damage so forth. I always laugh when someone tells me the a/c only needs a charge, if so, and if so easy, why has the owner not already charged it up?? One thing to keep in mind, it mostly costs the same to restore a highly desirable expensive early chrome bumper as it does the less desirable years, thus it is easy to get upside down on any C3, but very much so on the mid and later C3's. I agree with the post above on repair costs if that takes care of the problem.

Hope this help, sounds like a nice Corvette worth checking out. Good luck with the hunt!!!

 

Thanks for all the replies.

Here is a link to the add:

http://orlando.craigslist.org/cto/4981924713.html

It looks a lot better than the picts

Thanx again

A

 

A 4 wheel alignment in my area will run about $140. Assuming all the bushings and ball joints are in good shape but on a 40 year old car I would assume they are not so ballpark $600. For front end parts if you do the labor yourself or an additional $80.+ an hour shop rate to have someone else do it for you. Not even talking about rear trailing arms either. If it’s the original AC it used R12 refrigerant of which the average person can’t obtain any more so has to be converted to R134A. So more $$$$?. One tire skidding sounds like brake pads contaminated with brake fluid or not. Maybe more $$$$ there. Tires usually have a date code on the side wall. If they are over 8 years old they should be replaced. Bottom line it’s a 40 year old car. Its gonna need some works unless the previous owner already did it. $9k is a sweet deal if all repairs have been made and rust is a non issue. Best to bring a knowledgeable person with you to keep your head in check. I fell in love with my Corvette before I laid down that cash and to be honest it really clouded my judgment lol

 

Getting an AC fixed and running can get expensive fast, ask me how I know?. I put about $1500 into my car last year to get everything working correctly. And when I started it blew air and probably only needed a recharge ;-)

 

9 isnt a ton of money, but closely examining the body for prior repair and the frame and birdcage for rust are far more important than the ordinary mechanical issues you mention.

The air never works. They always say it needs a charge. Thats not it.

I see there's a later model tail cap on the car. Do you know this and do you care? Is it molded in? Is the orange the original color?

 

Who will be doing the work? If you turn the wrench, you save money. If you put the car in a shop, you'll be paying for their time and expertise.

Looks like a nice car.

Good luck.

 

I will have others doing the work.

There is no rust problems as far as I can see.

Its getting hard to find there cars in good shape around here (central Fla)

Thanx

A

 

Rear bumper has been replaced. Air cleaner box is not factory for a 1975 model.

Paint code 70 looks to be that color.

Car LOOKS nice but being that close to salt water air I would look CLOSE for rust...not just frame but windshield frame, birdcage. If rust free...its well worth 10K in my opinion.

 

Interesting statement: POWERFUL MATCHING NUMBER L 48 ENGINE. I have a '75 and the stock L48 was the worst dog ever in a Corvette. Not that it can't be improved. Yes, the chrome under the hood is not stock but no big deal. Also it does not appear to have the stock AIR pump. How many of the emissions devices have been disconnected? Does it still have a catalytic converter. Things to consider if you have to pass emissions testing.