http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/cto/5300942383.html

Either this is a scam or the guy must have meant $14,700. $4,700 for the work that's been done doesn't make any sense.

Thoughts?

 

I purchased my 1970 4-speed in 2012 for $7,000 and felt I got a pretty good deal. I'll put mine beside this one and see how well it matches:

--numbers matching 69 Corvette Stingray. Mine is NOT numbers matching 1970
--Original 350 350 horse motor 30 over. Mine had a non-original 370 LT-1 engine purchased from GM in 1978. It was a VERY nice engine that was just tired out from age. It had perhaps 10k miles on it when I cracked it apart.
--original 4 speed trans and rear. Same as mine
--Body was taken off the frame. Mine has not been separated
--The frame was sanded down and repainted and everything was replaced. This is nice. My frame has issues and I'm replacing it
--New brake lines, gas lines, all new rear suspention and completely rebuilt front ect. Some of this was done on my car as maintenance, not as restoration
--Everything is new or rebuilt. My stuff was maintained, not new and rebuilt
--The body was also stripped and redone in the original monaco orange. Mine has 4 coats of paint on it, one of them Baby Poop Green. Metallic.
--It is an ac car. So is mine
--Everything is there except the compressor. I have my complete system including the Frigidaire compressor
--It is a coupe so it has T-Tops. Well, yes.
--All new wire harnesses and vaccuum hoses. My harness is original, but intact. The vacuum hoses had recently been replaced
--its 90% plus complete Mine was running and driving when I purchased.
--I just installed a new front bumper. Fine. Mine were in decent shape for a 42 year old car.
--The rear bumpers are installed but still need to be rechromed. Fine.
--It has new rugs and seat covers and padding. My carpet was new, and the seats are original.
--Everything else in the interior is original. Yup.
--New exhaust. Cool.
--It needs a dash pad. Bummer. A bit of a pain, but fine.

SOME PERSPECTIVE

The downsides to my car are that it does have some birdcage rust and some dogleg rust. It had been licked pretty hard in the passenger front and had "period appropriate" repairs, which is another reason I'm swapping frames.

Since purchase, I have completely rebuilt my motor and replaced nearly every component associated with the engine (carb, ignition, fuel pump, etc.), replaced the radiator, and restored/replaced every component of the drivetrain to the rear lug nuts. I've also restored the fuel tank.

So...I have another ~14k into my original $7k purchase and have quite a ways to go. I've done 100% of the work myself, but for assembly of the new engine.

I currently drive the wheels off my car.

MY THOUGHTS ON THIS CAR

It's on the bubble of being a scam or it being someone who REALLY, REALLY, REALLY wants the car to be gone...like...yesterday.

I'd probably call them out of curiosity, but if there is ANY funny business on the phone, I'd stop the conversation quickly.

If the car is local and "see-able", I'd take two friends. Not skinny friends. One of them with a little something-something on their person.

In the end, I'd give this a 76% chance of being a scam. You'll know as soon as you ask to see the car. Either you can see it or it is in a garage in Nebraska somewhere with his uncle's sister's estate. A check would hold it and the rest can be paid to Google Shipping or some such of crap.

 

Yeah, I called him out of curiosity but no answer. Maybe he's working and away from his phone, so I'll try again later.

As far as it being a scam, I think it's weird he's looking for a trade. It's gotta be harder to scam someone out of a trade, right?

 

I would think.

Funny story about my car:

I called the guy on a Friday. No answer. No response.

Scam.

Got a random call that Monday afternoon at 3:00. It was the guy. Explained about back surgery and painkillers. Blah blah.

Still thinking scam. But a phone call is free, right?

Asked him questions. Got good answers. Car available for test drive, but has a guy coming down from New York the next day with cash in hand. It's mine if I want it.

STILL thinking it's a hard-sell scam, but what's the harm in trying to beat another guy out?

Called a friend (a big friend) and got cash from the bank. Hooked up my trailer and I was on the road by 4:30.

Saw the car by 6:00.

Made the deal by 7:00.

Headed home with a running, driving 1970 Corvette with a TON of accumulated parts by 8:30.

Got home by 11:00.

Drove the car for over 1,500 miles (that's a lot of miles, by the way) that summer before a litany of small issues with the engine force me to pull it for rebuild.

I love my car. I'm very glad I got into it for the price I did, issues and all.

So...there's always the chance. Like I said...some would say I was dumb to buy my car (that I would have put all that money toward a 'proper' $16k or $20k car), but I'm pleased as punch with it. It's my Zen Garden.

 

Well, shoot. Seems like you made out pretty well, Keith. Minus the frame issues I think I'd gladly deal with the rest of what you got for $7K. The more I shop around the more I see that's a good enough deal.

Even if this is legit I don't know if I'd be able to get all the logistics worked-out by tomorrow. I don't have a truck or a trailer (I could probably borrow a truck and rent a trailer) and Philly is about 3 hours from me. Hmmm...

 

I hear you. Lightning struck for me. Like I said, the car was far from perfect. But I'm having fun with it.

Lightning will strike for you.

This is my car the morning after purchase in Jan 2012...


This is my car in the fall of 2014...


I've gotten it tuned considerably better since then.

 

You can find out pretty quick if its a scam. Just call the guy, tell him you want to look at it and ask when you can do so. If he makes excuses you know its a scam. The "interested in trade" line might be just in there to make the scam sound more legitimate in the hopes that someone without a trade will be so eager to snap up this great deal they'll send cash sight unseen. If it was real, I think its doubtful the car would have lasted the 8 days its been advertised for.

When I was looking for a Corvette, I saw one ad after another like this on a site called VetteHound. They were all by the same two or three usernames which I'm confident was all the same person. I checked a couple of them and found in other ads not by him the same pictures he used. In the other ads the cars were priced much higher where you'd expect them to be.

If by some highly unlikely chance it is real, you could drive down there in your car, make the deal and an agreement to pick up the car at a later date. I've often done that.

 

I bet he left off the 1 in front of the 4....He is looking for a 4 door jeep in trade.....Can't touch one of those for anywhere close to 4700 closer to 24,700. The ad doesn't read like a typical overseas scam and neither the wording or the pics show up in a google search.

Brian

 

Nobody gives anything away, unless seller is your dad.

 

He also mentioned Harley trades and they are all worth way more than that.

 

I think you guys make a good case that he left the "1" off.

 

Yeah, the thought of a '1' getting dropped-off crossed my mind, too.

Who knows, maybe this would work-out anyway. I do happen to have a 2010 Harley that I've been trying to sell. Book on it is between $9,500-12,500, so who knows...

 

where you seeing 4K I see 14K????

Scam or typo? hum

 

Unless I'm missing something, the CL ad states "Please make an offer" - He removed the price?

 

Yeah, looks like the price was removed. Interesting...

 

Dunno. Looks like a legit ad the way it is now presented.

A $7k or $8k offer probably wouldn't have much risk associated with it. The fact that he even STATES that he has $14k in receipts makes me think that he knows he won't get that back out of the car.

The fresh paint is nice. The interior looks decent. A 4-speed is always nice.

 

Probably annoyed by the flood of calls wanting his $4700 Corvette.

 

How bout this one....

http://annarbor.craigslist.org/cto/5311329746.html

 

"Triple Black"

Picture: Black

Paint Color: BLUE

Funny.

Not a lot of detail there for what appears to be a very well cared-after 1968 Convertible 4-speed. I'd be surprised if that was real.

 

Pretty positive that is a scam, it's also been listed in Chicago and Indianapolis, same price, slightly different angle single picture, always a different description of the engine, NOM 350, rebuilt 327/350hp, etc.

http://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/cto/5311398011.html

--Mike