Reposting this in the proper area.L48,auto,air ,tilt and telescopic,cruise,37000 original miles.Very clean iside and out,including under and engine bay.Only problem is it was repainted black for one of the previous owners wives.Was originally red.So how much do you guys think that hurts a 77?

 

I'd say that the colour change would have minimal effect on the value. They made tons of '77s so this model will have little value as a collector's item. In that case originality is not a huge deal.

There would be many other factors that would much more strongly affect the value.

 

I agree, condition is what you should be focusing on.

 

Would be nice to see some pictures of the car. If the black paint job is good quality and you like it, then that's a plus. Condition is everything, with 37k it should look nice. If you are buying it to drive and keep, then I wouldn't worry about the color change.
Maybe there is some negotiation on price since it's not original color....you could always try.

Good luck!

 

Asking 12900 Canadian[about 10500 US].Would post pictures if I can figure out how

 

see if this works

 

Do you like the black or would you prefer the red?

 

Red,mostly because it being original.The car looks so clean and milage low,am thinking that might be more important?

 

Compared to my '77 that is incredibly good condition. And although I know pictures tend to improve looks rather than degrade them that's still a very well kept engine bay even if parts were replaced.

You might want to check into original engine "matching numbers" to VIN next to top right side water pump mount, just so you know if it is or isn't.

Like was said already, don't worry about the paint color just the condition. If it were an unmolested original '77 in mint condition I expect it could have been $25K+, so subtracting 15K for that one might be perfectly okay. I'm hardly the person to speculate... but here I am anyway.


I would love to see the interior. Mine has the look of being 40 years old, supposedly 44000 miles but wear and tear is like 244000 instead.

I gave up on finding a local (within 150 miles) '74 to '77 for $10K or less in as good shape as that one.

If I had that one to consider I probably would have done that for sure, and now even more so knowing how my car lacks most things: power steering, A/C and heat, fully functional headlights, etc. It's my first C3 though, learning experience.

 

Looks pretty well-cared-for to me...

The engine bay is a big one for me. The more POS jerry-rigged stuff I see under the hood, the less interest I have in the car.

This car not only shows a very appropriate patina, but it also has a bunch of the stuff that hot-rodders toss out almost immediately. That tells me that a responsible adult made the decision-making in the care of this particular vehicle.

That said, I'd be the first one to ditch most of the stuff I admire in this particular car. Which, I admit, is a bit of a dichotomy. Be that as it may, I would probably drink whatever Kool-Aid this seller is offering. The car looks legit.

 

interior

 

It being an Auto 77 is the only thing that would keep the market tepid to this car...and hence keep the price more moderated.

The interior is exactly what I would expect for a car with that engine bay. Very well done. If it has been touched, it was done with a very soft hand. I believe that is a very correct car, though.

I don't know much about the market, but that seems like a nice and reasonable price for what appears to be a well cared for vehicle. Not a fire-sale price. Not a horrible price. But very appropriate to a nice car that needs very little to enjoy.

 

Thanks very much for the input guys.Making it hard to say no to a roadtrip.

 

Thanks for showing the inside of that car, looks just as good as the outside and engine.

Don't bother much with what I'm about to say here but while figuring out my windshield wiper trouble I found out the hood of my '77 can catch the passenger side (upper when parked) wiper blade if hood is pushed down too much. It latches twice, first easy and up slightly and 2nd takes a hard push down on each side. I found that out by trying to line it up with the fenders better. Needs to stay up a little, in my case or wipers stay down when turned on.

Point is, there's a chance of many such things to check for, but at least you could get a good idea of alignments for doors, hood and T-tops with a quick going over. Maybe I'm overthinking this, feel like I would love to get a chance at that car myself. Especially since I almost bought a $7000 '77 before mine that was showing its age (ugly) yet almost complete and original, so if I could get that one for $10K (less $500) I'd be happy with it.

Too bad these '77s aren't worth more... but that's now. Must be fewer of them as time goes by. Of course I could be wrong, vintage car buying is new to me.

Caveat I just thought of before I let this reply go: '77 steering column and possibly other things are 1 year only. And then there's the "early" or "late" year changes. When it comes to parts that's going to be important to consider.

 

My 77 presents some early / late issues. Security switch in the fender, which is early but I have late, 18 pin t-tops. Can present some issues but if it's as good as it looks go for it. Mine is black with a blue interior and if you get that black good and shinny you'll get all kinds of looks and compliments.

 

30 Below, I bought a '77 last year that is very similar to yours. It is an L82 4 speed and was ready to drive when I bought it. I paid about a $1000 more for mine and have had no regrets as I currently don't have the facilities or tools to do major repair work. If it's what you want get it and enjoy. BTW, mine was originally light blue and repainted red.

 

To continue Mr. LongRoadHome's point:

I bumped into a fellow forum member this weekend with an AMAZING Steel Cities Gray 1972 with a saddle interior. He's been driving it around town for a while. $25k car that he's put $500 into to keep happy and healthy.

Meanwhile, I have my "driver" car with all of its faults. I paid $7k for it and have put an easy $12k into it since. The thing is hella reliable and fun now that I've been through the drivetrain, but it took some time and A LOT of effort to make that happen.

My point is this: These cars take time and money to maintain. In the end, we all end up at the same point...$25k by buying it done or $25k by doing it ourselves. Don't think that this will be a car that doesn't have a 'continuing investment' to keep things going the way you'd like.

All that said, the few pictures you've provided would make me pretty comfortable that this would be an exceptional starting point for a long relationship with a C3. There are always bugaboos that lurk deep in the car (Cam starting to wipe? Valve springs soft? Axle shims running thin? Universals on their way out?) But that would be the case for any car at any price, pretty much.

Which makes the price of this all the more attractive. It leaves some room for a little maintenance without being hopelessly upside-down on the car before you pull it out of the garage for the first time.

Good luck, friend!

 

 

Thanks everyone.Will see how this goes