74 454 need some help
Thread Starter
7th Gear
Joined: Apr 2018
Posts: 7
Likes: 0
From: Wayne NJ
74 454 need some help
Hi;
I'm new to the forum and I came here basically to try and sell my 74 454. I bought the car a while ago on a whim. Got a kick out of driving it for a while but with the traffic in Jersey pushing a clutch in bumper to bumper traffic gets old pretty quick, so I was using it less and less. Past few years I've only driven it around the block once in a while so I figure it's time to sell it. I did some research and Haggerty's says one of these in average condition is worth 23K. The window in my convertible top is shot and the front brake line needs to be replaced. That's about 2K so I listed it for 19K. It's been up for a few days and been viewed 200 times but no replies so I figure it's probably over priced. I'm not that knowledgeable with these things and I don't want to insult anybody by posting something totally off the wall so I'd appreciate any feedback anyone can provide.
Thanks
Mike
I'm new to the forum and I came here basically to try and sell my 74 454. I bought the car a while ago on a whim. Got a kick out of driving it for a while but with the traffic in Jersey pushing a clutch in bumper to bumper traffic gets old pretty quick, so I was using it less and less. Past few years I've only driven it around the block once in a while so I figure it's time to sell it. I did some research and Haggerty's says one of these in average condition is worth 23K. The window in my convertible top is shot and the front brake line needs to be replaced. That's about 2K so I listed it for 19K. It's been up for a few days and been viewed 200 times but no replies so I figure it's probably over priced. I'm not that knowledgeable with these things and I don't want to insult anybody by posting something totally off the wall so I'd appreciate any feedback anyone can provide.
Thanks
Mike
Intermediate
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 38
Likes: 7
Pics? How many miles? Interior condition? Modified or numbers matching? A/C, engine clean or greasy? It all makes a difference. 74 454 is a smog equipment year so its price is not directly comparable to earlier years. I’ll tell you up front, 19K is high priced for an average 1974 unless miles are very low.
Last edited by Moonrunner; May 2, 2018 at 03:05 PM.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 6,400
Likes: 1,226
From: Tampa Florida
Hi;
I'm new to the forum and I came here basically to try and sell my 74 454. I bought the car a while ago on a whim. Got a kick out of driving it for a while but with the traffic in Jersey pushing a clutch in bumper to bumper traffic gets old pretty quick, so I was using it less and less. Past few years I've only driven it around the block once in a while so I figure it's time to sell it. I did some research and Haggerty's says one of these in average condition is worth 23K. The window in my convertible top is shot and the front brake line needs to be replaced. That's about 2K so I listed it for 19K. It's been up for a few days and been viewed 200 times but no replies so I figure it's probably over priced. I'm not that knowledgeable with these things and I don't want to insult anybody by posting something totally off the wall so I'd appreciate any feedback anyone can provide.
Thanks
Mike
I'm new to the forum and I came here basically to try and sell my 74 454. I bought the car a while ago on a whim. Got a kick out of driving it for a while but with the traffic in Jersey pushing a clutch in bumper to bumper traffic gets old pretty quick, so I was using it less and less. Past few years I've only driven it around the block once in a while so I figure it's time to sell it. I did some research and Haggerty's says one of these in average condition is worth 23K. The window in my convertible top is shot and the front brake line needs to be replaced. That's about 2K so I listed it for 19K. It's been up for a few days and been viewed 200 times but no replies so I figure it's probably over priced. I'm not that knowledgeable with these things and I don't want to insult anybody by posting something totally off the wall so I'd appreciate any feedback anyone can provide.
Thanks
Mike
I was one of the 200 that viewed your for sale ad. Here are my thoughts:
1. You didn't specify the 454 NOM, is it a replacement, a used one out of a Corvette, or possibly out of a car or truck?
2. How good is the re-paint?
3. You need to spend a day and detail the car.
4. You need better pictures, interior close-up, engine photos, undercarriage photos, body mounts behind kick panels.
5. NOM, but what about the other components, transmission, differential, alternator, starter, carburetor, etc.
Spend some time and look at other for sale ads that post really good pictures and information about the car.
There might be someone out there that's looking for your exact car, it just takes time.
I'm prepared to take a couple of years to sell my '71 LS5 Convertible, you just never know about the C3 market.
Good luck.
Last edited by 71 Green 454; May 2, 2018 at 04:21 PM.
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 23,419
Likes: 22
From: In limbo
St. Jude Donor '13-'15, '17 thru '22
Let's start at the beginning for an early C3 that is not a '68-'71 car. We need to answer these questions, as delivered from the factory:
1. Is it a convertible?
2. Is it a big block?
3. Is it a manual?
In this case, the answer is "yes" to all three. When the answer to all three is "yes", you have a car that is legitimately "desirable".
So, trouble selling a desirable car under $20K. My first concern would be the not original motor. What happened to the original motor? No indication of how the car came to be without its original motor is going to cause pretty much all buyers to question whether the 60 something thousand miles is real.
When you say the window in your convertible top is "shot", is this on the soft top? The hard top one looks fine.
Why do you say the front brake line needs to be replaced? What are the symptoms? If it is just a bad brake line, buyers will be suspicious. Brake lines are easy enough for the weekend hobbyists like myself to change out, so if that is really the problem, change it out. If you leave it that way, folks are going to assume there is a more serious problem.
I used to live in Wayne NJ. I still roll through there every once in a while. Let me know if you feel me rolling by your place in my 'vette would help you any.
1. Is it a convertible?
2. Is it a big block?
3. Is it a manual?
In this case, the answer is "yes" to all three. When the answer to all three is "yes", you have a car that is legitimately "desirable".
So, trouble selling a desirable car under $20K. My first concern would be the not original motor. What happened to the original motor? No indication of how the car came to be without its original motor is going to cause pretty much all buyers to question whether the 60 something thousand miles is real.
When you say the window in your convertible top is "shot", is this on the soft top? The hard top one looks fine.
Why do you say the front brake line needs to be replaced? What are the symptoms? If it is just a bad brake line, buyers will be suspicious. Brake lines are easy enough for the weekend hobbyists like myself to change out, so if that is really the problem, change it out. If you leave it that way, folks are going to assume there is a more serious problem.
I used to live in Wayne NJ. I still roll through there every once in a while. Let me know if you feel me rolling by your place in my 'vette would help you any.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski