Hi Wbv,
You are the buyer that this seller only DREAMED would come along!!!
Really…. no.
Regards,
Alan

 

Definitely pass. This isn't a realistic purchase for you and for 7-8k, you could buy a car that will last you several years as an everyday driver and will be much more reliable. Besides your want/need to have a Corvette, you couldn't convince me, when you're in college, that there is one good reason to get one right now. Focus on school, and you can easily get one when you're out of school. You would seriously regret the purchase, I can almost guarantee you that. Sorry for being objective, but it's the logical choice.

 

I'm a relatively young guy, still in a graduate degree program, so I get where you're coming from. I also know it's hard to take the advice of guys who are ultra conservative and in their careers etc, who will tell you that you can't do it. However, undergrad is a time for experiencing other things in life; social life, study groups, networking in your future profession, eating ramen noodles.

If you're keeping the car in a parking lot you'll have no where to work on it. Assuming you're in an apartment or campus housing, neither will let you work on components of the vehicle on their carpet, haha. Furthermore, do you have tools to do basic vehicle work / a place to store them? It's beyond whether or not you can afford it in my opinion. Even if your parents were floating you the money and were going to give you every dollar to rebuild it while in school, your time is better spent elsewhere because you won't have the facilities to work on it.

If you focus on school now for just a few years and learn what you need to, to get a job, and not be one of the "degree and jobless" you'll have more money in the long run to do stupid **** like pull the 77' POS motor and throw a badass in there.

 

holy hood gaps whats going on with that thing?

Maybe we should colllectively do some searches to find this person something he can jump into and drive while hes getting schooled he will be pleasantly surprised.
Theres a way to have your cake and eat it too

 

What part of the country are you in. Can you get any pics of the underside? If the frame isnt rusty and the floor is sound as well as around the window it'll be fine. Check the body mounts as well. You can drive a rust bucket but they're expensive to fix. Rust is mostly hidden in the windshielsd and body mounts but can be detected when you know where to look.

Have you read the 10 things to know yet? Have you test driven it yet? I would get it on a lift and see what is going on. You want to look at all the moving parts, check ball joints and tie rod ends in the front end as well as wheel bearings front and rear end. Spin the rear wheels and listen for any clunking when you start and stop. Tightness of the ujoints in the half shafts and drive shaft. Grab the wheels when of the ground and pull on top/ push on bottom to rock them. This checks ball joints in the front end as well as bearings. Rock front tire left and right, checks tierod ends. Nothing should clunk or grind and rough feeling as they spin is a bearing or brake drag

Putting the tranny in gear you want to listen for clunking. You want to apply the brakes and give it a little gas and see if you feel the transmission slip. It looks like it has AC disconnected, ask the owner last time it worked, why its disconnected. Ask the owner if he did regular maintenance like oil changes and tune ups, last tune up. Do the wipers work, lights work, turn signals and horn. Do all the gauges work and the speedo and tack work. How old is the battery and starter.

Most mechanicl parts are common and still available at part stores. Switches body parts and interior are going to be speacialty items

You need to make a check list and find every little thing that doesnt work. He has a diry driveway, ask him to drive it and skid all for tires, see if any brakes arent working. If everything checks out it will be a fine daily driver. Nothing special or hard to fix. Find an older mechanic that know older cars and you'll be fine

 

Going back over the photos you should pull up the rubber carpet protectors and see if its wet under there. You say you dont have a garage so ask to yun a hose on the t tops and see if they leak. Alot do and you dont want water getting into to windshield frame/ birdcage because thats where the rust lives and kills a good car. If you get this invest in a waterproof, breathable cover. You dont want to trap moisture in the car. I hope its not humid where you live. You may want to not cover it on dry days

 

You can get a better car for $5000. and for a couple grand more you can get a fairly nice one. Mine was only $8000 and it's a head-turner with a very nice interior.

This has nothing to do if you should at this point in your life, the car itself is a fail.

 

$8,000.

 

I don't have problem with someone having an old car in college, I did and loved it. The key is having a nice dependable older car, and this one doesn't look like it. The good thing for me was I didn't need a car, so mine could sit as long as I needed it to if needed, like when I sent the bumper off to be rechromed, It sat in the student lot under a cover. I drove mine to FL for spring break 12 hours away and had 0 problems. My point is, pick a nice one and if you have CASH, NOT A LOAN, plus money left over for problems you might have go for it, just not this car!

 

Does anyone have an idea of the cost to get the car refreshed. I would try and do the work myself, and I am not looking for a show car. Just a fairly nice ride. Any ideas?

 

$15,000.00
You will have to spend close to $1000.00 just to get the turn signals and brakes working so that you can get it inspected.

 

Way more than it'll ever be worth. I wouldn't pay more than $2000 for it. $5000 is ridiculous.

 

Listen to the advice of the two above. To refresh this car will cost thousands. Even if you do the work yourself! And again, this car will have down time and need a garage or a place that you can work on it. When I was in college with an almost 30 year old Corvette I was able to use my father-in-laws garage and tools when I needed. I also had another vehicle to use as a daily driver. If you have the right setup, it can be done, but if it is your only car and you just have an open parking lot, think long and hard about this one. Does anyone else at your college drive a 40 year old car daily?