LGK-SD

I've spent the last 1/2 year looking at 69's and 70's, mostly coupes. This post is not expert comments from me but a discussion of your experience. Be it Hemmings, ClassicCars, eBay, VetteFinders, etc, dealer or private my observations are:
a) Sell through seems sparse.
b) Reserves are not being met with plenty of relists.
c) Private parties starting to think why don't I just bring it to an auction (e.g. Mecum, Barrett, etc).
d) I don't have math to support this but seems like they are selling here on the Forum better than anywhere.

I'm talking about nice original cars, prices that seem reasonable (competitive, Hagerty Valuation charts, general articles), with some documentation and history.

Probably LT-1's and tri-powers are the exception. I'm partial to coupes but verts seem to still be the fav.
Comments?

The13Bats

Im as jaded as they come and while there are con artists everywhere, i would have more faith in a long time members car being what he or she said it was....if they lie man oh man will they get their *** handed to them...

DUB

I am not in the market to buy one at his time...but what I do have is people bringing them by my shop for me to look at and inspect prior to final purchase.

In most cases what is being advertised is somewhat correct...but then there are times when it is way off base.

On a lot of the nice original cars...they are original but they need to freshened up...and with that....the costs of that can push the costs of the car up when completed and over what it is worth...unless like you wrote...it has the options to support its increased value.

And then again...it is also depending on what the person is looking for.

DUB

Faster Rat

I just read where the number of millionaires in this country has doubled since 2011. That tells me that money sure ain't worth what it used to. People still think that they can find a great car today for what they could 6 years ago. Forget Hagerty.

jr9170

I just sold a 72 that I was asking 32k for close to asking price. The good ones always bring the money and always will. Everything looks good in pics that why u have to see it Person.

KingRat

You are asking about our experience. From experience, 80-81 4-speed cars in desirable colors sell really well. I look for cars to buy daily. I have been the second caller on many cars and have missed out on really great deals this year. It seems that cars in the $12-$15 range sell really well. I've seen a lot of 68-72s sell in the $18-30 range. High dollar, high horsepower cars sell word of mouth and at auctions. For some reason, the $40-$70 cars are a tough sell. Probably not rare enough for the big players and a lot to pay for the average enthusiast.

LGK-SD

Your last sentence makes sense to me. I think a 70 LT-1 is rare, awesome but is it rare enough for $50k-ish? And can I afford it. And then the other factor (maybe true, maybe not) about the shrinking population of buyers that are attracted to this time period. And the new and emerging: My son is 27. He loves vintage year and style and loves his little '94 5.0 Mustang. Most of his friends...if the first digit isn't a "2", they don't care. But they'll take a C5 Z06.

KingRat

Absolutely. The C5 - not just the Z06- is a performance bargain! Kids can tune these cars, haul their gear in them and they have all the comfort and convenience my C2s and C3s just can't touch.

jr9170

King rat I agree 80-81 4 speed originals always sell well. Real LT-1's in original sell well as do 68 - 71 Big Blocks with their original engines and factory Docs. A 69-70 350-350 L46 Vert is very desirable and pretty rare and sell Very well.

cv67

x2 kids like the lsx platfforms, turbo cars and modern convenience stuff
old cars...are not what they want.
2 yrs ago could have gotten top $ for mine, now maybe half that. whos gonna buy it> Another old guy? lol...cause younger ones wont be caught dead in it. Enjoy what ya got and quit worrying about tomorrow- the days of these old cars going through the roof and capitalizing on it are long gone Im afraid.

LGK-SD

Agree..but I don't got anything (Vette-wise) right now. Year ago sold a pristine (7500 miles) '10 ZR-1 stock to a fellow forum member. Just too much $$ sitting in one spot for one car. Drove it 2200 miles from SoCal to Ohio. Bought it used with 5k miles. Been flirting with a very original documented reasonably priced 70 LT-1 but again, above what I want to spend. BTW if interested let me know and I can lead you to the very honest experienced owner. I get nothing out of that. So on the lookout for a stock untracked LOW mileage '03 or '04 Z. That's where I am at and will be happy I did. (Signed OP).

Revi

1970 Coupe L-46 NCRS National Top Flight winner, advertised since Jan.

Ad on the Corvette Forum, 5500+ views, received one e-mail with no response back.
Ad on a different Vette Forum, 500+ views, zero e-mails.
Ad in NCRS Driveline Mag., one e-mail with no response back.
Ad in Texas Chapter NCRS Mag., one e-mail with no response back.

JohnnyQuik

The market for 68-72 base cars has been flat for a very long time. Just like ten years ago, it seems $20k can get you a nice car that is either very well preserved or that someone has dumped a whole lot of money into getting it right. There's been a some upward movement with specifically optioned cars like documented LT-1's and BB convertibles over the past few years. Calling the market soft is just a matter of expectations. Priced realistically, any car will sell, as the overall economy is doing fairly well and there are plenty of buyers. The real questions is, where is the peak of interest in these cars and when will the demand truly dry up? 10 years, 20 years? Right now, people in the peak of their earning years are nostalgic about the cars that they admired as kids. Of course, anything can get hot like we saw with Mopar muscle cars and aircooled 911's and logic is tossed out the window.
Eventually though, the next generation comes along and technology marches on.

SteveG75

The youngest C3 is 35 years old, the oldest is 49 years old. People want cars that they admired as kids and can now afford. The people that fondly remember C3's are probably all over 40 years old. As we die off, the C3 market will slow and die off. Just like the market for Model A Fords, 33 Fords, 40's Lincolns, etc. There were always be the occasional C3 out there but the majority will just start rotting away.

LGK-SD

Yup that is the case. And then some come back. I have a '54 Chevy pickup that I built (350/TH400, PS,PB, etc) and I can't drive it anywhere w/o someone asking me if I would sell it.

raydog9379

A couple things at play:

1) The price some think their car is worth vs. what people are willing to pay. The crazy prices at BJ, Mecum, etc.. have made people think their car is worth a ton. Well maybe if you have something super rare, matching #s, and in top condition.
2) After the crazy housing crash, market crashes of 08.... people aren't as willing to spend extra $ sitting around on a car. Many of those people lost a job or had a family member lose a job within the last 8-10 years and have become cautious.
3) Many of my own generation (I'm 38) want everything done and not have to fix it. Me, I went into it when I was 25 thinking it'd be cool to fix up a car. However, kids came along and I took about a 10 year hiatus from even working on my car but started it up all the time to make sure seals and whatnot were ok and drove it a little during summers but not a ton. Daycare is expensive (think $300/week per kid in IL at KinderCare...nothing fancy and I had 3 kids) and eats up any spare cash. Wife tells the kids she could have had a couple Ferrari's with how much they've cost just in childcare. Probably right. Pick just about any C3 and I probably could have had it with the exception of a small number of them in the 300k+ range

LGK-SD

Well I'll throw this out there which motivated me to post: I know of 2 numbers matching very original and validated (NCRS) 70 LT-1's that are priced competitive and fairly that I thought would have been sold by now.

joewill

there is a reason these cars that you think are competitively priced don't sell. rarely do you see a car without some excuse. engine stamp, rust, title issues, mileage, originality, too far away, too great acquisition costs, sales tax, seller wants cash in a dark alley, nickel and dime stuff .. any number of things.

philosophies on originality vs condition are all over the place.

sellers are fishing for that one buyer that will pay more. when it is time for me to sell, i owe it to myself to get as much as I can for my car.

anything that needs paint will never get sold without a major discount.

don't think this forum is immune either, a seller can lie through his teeth and due to forum rules, you can't post anything on the thread unless it enhances the sale. I don't see the high priced cars on this forum selling very often either.

Mr D.

I have said the same thing about C2's and people look at me like I'm crazy. I'm 59 and have a 65 & 71 by the time I hit 75 there will be very little value or demand in both these cars.

Just like Steve said go research the Model A market, it was hot for a period but now you can't give them away.

raydog9379

Yep... especially on the paint. I was looking at a 71 BB a month or 2 ago. It looked nice in the pictures and at 10+ feet away. The paint had bad crazing when you look closer and interior needed to be redone. He owned his own shop and had redone all of the suspension bushings/etc. (that's a positive), new tires, hoses, brakes and calipers, new chain set, etc.. Frame was solid, overall nice car. Seller wanted around 22-24k, and I just couldn't do it. I've been through a repaint and would have to lay out probably 7-10k for paint plus another couple grand in seats/door panels and then any other surprises. So when it's done I'm at roughly 33-40k outlay on a car that's worth maybe 26-28k when I'm done... no thanks unless it ticked all my boxes color/combo wise. Maybe I'm just getting pickier the more I read posts on this forum and what should be correct and what it costs for X repair