The13Bats

Well the seller is either clueless or trying to scam the less savvy,
A L-88 is an aluminum head 427 fire breathing monster engine that is somewhat rare..and was never in a 75....it was also the tag given to the L-88 hood and Flares of the early c3 days since he goes on to admit this car has the basic 350 and it doesn't have the L-88 hood or flares we know that the L-88 is just added for buzz...I would be far more worried about rust, and wear items and frame condition than tyres....

BTW, the custom body work is just an 80 style front bumper and some rear spoiler that could be pace car or perhaps custom,

Humzah Ahmad

more opinions? also what are some no nos when im looking at ads for c3s online?

ddawson

New old stock (NOS), also backronymed as "new on the shelf" or "new off the shelf", [citation needed] refers to obsolete equipment, or original parts (components) for obsolete equipment, that have never been sold at retail.

cv67

Without starting over


List your location

What do you want in a car options wise

how much do you have to spend?

Do you want something smog exempt

Lots of us here in Ca no reason if you find something interesting we cant help you out so you and Dad are happy. Good crowd here

Buying something thats not "numbers matching" will get you more for your money. If its a starter vette who cares (my first was a 73)meant nothing come sale time. Buyer painted, put OD trans and stroker in 3 mos later sold it for double LOL

If you look on Ventura CL there is a pretty clean auto white 76 under 100k I believe looks clean in/out believe AC too for 7K? Ish would have to look. I have been stuck on a 4spd but if looks like budget may dictate an auto giving it one more mo. Besides have to replace my DD THIS week. Smog laws...

Theres a silver 75 here that just came up caught my eye sounds like it will be priced outta budget though. Damn.....perfect driver

There are LOTS of C3 that are sound and owners arent delusional unfortunately there are plenty with good conscience who will sell you a pile of junk and take every dime you got.

Lets make this easy....

Richard Daugird

I'd definitely look for a '74, not just because I think they are the best looking of the rubber bumper cars(they look sleeker without the bumper guards), but true dual exhaust with no catalytic converter, and no smog check in Socialist Kalifornia. I'm glad any car 25+ years old is exempt here in Texas. I personally like the '68-'72 better, but they are out of your budget(mine too)

The13Bats

have you went to look at any in person yet...

Get out from behind the comp , I know its hard, and go look at these cars in person, it's fun I recall the 68 I looked I went to open the passenger door, it fell off, no kidding the seller said, Yeah, needs to be bolted back on"

You can see some of the nice things and some of the wear and tear a car this old will likely have.
it will be fun, take a buddy, make a day of it and if some seller acts like a T.A.C.O. just laugh at him.

Humzah Ahmad

waiting for school to get out so I can. Most of the cars I like are down in SF and LA area so I'd have to make the trip

Humzah Ahmad

Doing that now thank you

The13Bats

I do not know cali very well but have a couple aunts who live out there, the one complained to me she lives like 4 hours from the other.

LOL, wait for school to let out....posting on the vette forum...a true rev head

Humzah Ahmad

yep haha. Wish me luck on finals on June 13-16 so that my parents might allow me a higher budget

Humzah Ahmad

Bump. Updated the main post. Any help with locating one with those specifications?

The13Bats

9 k isn't bad, but what you expect for the toad pelts will take some looking, it's easy to fall in love with a sharp looking nice driving c3 that has enough hiding rust to make the car worth very little....do not just jump on something think about it then think some more and a savvy car person better yet a savvy vette person needs to check it out, the last thing you want is to get some mess that mom and dad can rub your nose in it over....on the other hand if you take your time try to save even more when you start getting around 12K then some pretty darn sweet 74-82's pop up.....

Humzah Ahmad

I was looking at the 73 and those curves

Any threads on the site that can help me locate some Vettes locally? My mom really would like me to have a one owner car

The13Bats

you keep trimming down the pot roast with all you want in the 9K range, the newest c3 an 82 still is 34 years old most c3's will have more than one owner a one owner c3 is likely going to be a lot higher than 9K unless ruined in a barn or garage somewhere.

You could go to the section of corvette for sale and post a wanted ad,

Did you figure out which year group you like best?

68-69, 70-72, "73", 74-77, 78-79, 80-82,

Humzah Ahmad

True. I know i probably won't get everything I want in the car but that's where the fun comes in right?!

I love the metal bumpers but since the price on those is crazy...73,74-77 is my favorite

F22

A lot of good advice. Bats is right about the price, 12K is where you start finding really nice examples, in what I call the Mid C3's (74-77),, $15K gets you a really, really nice Mid C3. Also, this comment from Richard Daugird: I'd definitely look for a '74, not just because I think they are the best looking of the rubber bumper cars(they look sleeker without the bumper guards), but true dual exhaust with no catalytic converter, and no smog check in Socialist Kalifornia.

Because I own a '74, you can call me biased. After '74, things started to change subtly, like in '75, they used metal floors instead of fiberglass and it progressed onwards from there. Yes, you could daily drive this car and I'll say that, because I finally got mine, totally sorted out. I drove almost 200 miles last Sunday, without a hitch and my '74 always starts instantly. So yes, a DD is possible, but you've got to stay on top of things.

You should also be prepared to work on it, because if you're going to pay for it, it won't be cheap. I purchased an old street racer and because it has an MSD Ignition, it became so hard to overcome the high energy noise that it put out, that I just finally pulled out the whole stereo system, including the speaker box in the back and now, I just have, what's under the hood for tunes, which is fine by me.

I also recommend having the prospective purchase, inspected by a competent repair shop. Most of the good ones, will do it for $100 to $150, the only obstacle is finding one that knows what they're looking at. An honest seller, should have no problem, with having it independently inspected.

Finally, be patient and find the car that is 'yours'. I looked at three '74's in the LA area on Craigslist and didn't like any of them. It is a true gift, when you find the car that 'you know it and it knows you'. When you're shopping, feel free to post pics and links here and you'll get plenty of opinions and thoughts on your prospective purchase. I'll keep an eye on LA, OC and SD, but keep in mind, that you might have to travel to get 'your' C3. You'll know it, when you see it. Good luck!

Humzah Ahmad

Thoughts on these?

https://modesto.craigslist.org/cto/5568653035.html
https://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/cto/5603199227.html
https://fresno.craigslist.org/cto/5550345772.html
https://fresno.craigslist.org/cto/5550345772.html

ddawson

1, missing front bumper
Automatic
Needs paint
Needs interior
I bet the whole car needs to be gone though.

2, cars has been for sale for ever.
Do you like customs
Can't be an LT-1 and number match
Needs a lot of work

3, needs work, paint and more

Welcome to CA prices. Did you see this one.
https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/d...1610/overview/

It's an 81 but looks clean.

ddawson

This one looks clean as well.
https://stockton.craigslist.org/cto/5601375270.html
Plates show a personalized veteran plates so it may be his baby.

The13Bats

I am into customs and modded and like that modded car however,
The seller did something that is the peak of Cheddar Richard to me,
In his ad he showed a black car with a nose like his but he showed several little pictures of Mako re bodies, that were a silva / motion custom and doesn't look like his car so is he trying to use smoke and mirrors for a sale...I wonder how many people write him ask him so which car are you selling.
well after reading his all cap ranting ad I wish him luck with that.


One of the cars said non op you sure do not want that bucket of worms,
So the 81 is the best of this lot.