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wow 71 Green 454, you had yours since it was only 4 years old, amazing.
how many miles were on it then and now?
I know how you feel about the wife dealing with it god forbid, I have same thoughts and this is why I own 1 at a time. im no kid either at least age wise.
Last edited by nutsy; 02-01-2019 at 06:00 PM.
Reason: add
As the owner of an original '71 LS5 Convertible, I totally agree with you. Having a '71 with improved components must be a blast to drive!
I've owned mine for 44 years and now that I'm in my senior years I would hate for my wife to have to deal with it if something happened to me.
Heck, she hasn't ridden in it since 1990.
That is a beautiful car, and if I saw it at a Cars and Coffee, I'd chat you up and ask to sit in it. It is exceptionally cool that you have kept it all green.
Now, no offense to you or what you have done, I would never buy that car. It's too original to be gutted and resto-modded (ask me again in 10 years), and as you seem to agree, not as much fun as would be if it were "improved".
I'm not "the market", and I already have all the C3s I'll need for a long time, but I have to agree with Ali Vette. I'd much rather have a NOM resto-mod candidate (or one that is already resto-modded) that my wife and I can enjoy, than an amazing time capsule like yours. I don't think my sentiment is unique, and over time that will drive prices down on original cars. Car enthusiasts today want to DRIVE the cars they own, while we still can.
wow 71 Green 454, you had yours since it was only 4 years old, amazing.
how many miles were on it then and now?
I know how you feel about the wife dealing with it god forbid, I have same thoughts and this is why I own 1 at a time. im no kid either at least age wise.
I bought it when I was 24 and it had 27,000 miles, now it has 55,382 miles and I'm 68.
Supply and demand - supply and demand. And I'll throw in inflation, basically a requirement of our fiat currency. Cars in 5 years will have so much "oversight" insofar as government required monitoring and controls that the average
backyard mechanic will be hard put to do nearly anything. The average Corvette has not gone up in value, and neither has your home - they've both seen prices rise because the dollar has weakened so much. You could buy a real nice men's suit
for $20 in 1920, essentially the value of a one ounce gold coin then. The same $20 might get you a tie for the suit today (maybe) but the one ounce gold coin will still buy a nice man's suit. It's not that prices have made collector cars crazy expensive, it's that your dollar has weakened from debt spending by your government so much. Anyway, off that subject, don't expect collector cars to go down in dollar values anytime soon, especially the chrome bumper converts or the C2 years or the 427s. Time, cost, accidents, and rust will thin out the current crop of muscle cars to a minimal amount of survivors in the next 10 years.
you don’t realize how spot on you are. You are talking over 99% of peoples heads that don’t/won’t get what you are saying.
Yes I am a new member but have owed 3 vettes prior .. I think you are the minority not the majority. !! However its great to hear at a young age you guys are still interested in the classic
I think the original cars are at a disadvantage in the value department too. The ONLY thing I like about my 69 is the style. The exterior style to be exact. The interior leaves a lot to be desired. My car is in line to be gone through and having many things replaced. Just gor the engine back from machine shop so the slow process of getting it back on the road begins. I already have fuel injection, a 5 speed, and custom wheels. It will eventually get better brakes, steering. Modern heat/AC.
Unbelievable, and I feel sick, 1237cc inline 4; really???? My riding lawnmower may have more than that? The world really is going to H*!!, oh well, more C3's for us!
(Followup comment from my better half; this is evidence of what some call the Pu$$!f!cation of America going on right now, hmmm....can you burn rubber with this one??)
Nope - will not break the tires loose even on polished cement!!!
I actually had one back in the early 80's- a 78 I bought for $900. Needed a beater because I was commuting to School- and my other car was my 71 BB 4 speed vert- which I still have 38 years later.
Had the little 4 cylinder rebuilt and when I went to pick it up at the machine shop- their delivery truck was not available. They had always let me borrow it and their "cherry picker!!!"
So we ended up putting the engine in the passenger seat of my Vette- Only weighed a couple hundred pounds!!!
This is why this forum and the car hobby is so great! Some corvette enthusiasts like restomods and some like original cars. There is no wrong answer. The truth is a well done resto mod and an original car with desirable options will always find a home at solid prices-now and in the future. For me, I appreciate the modern enhancements of a restomod but my heart is with the original cars. I love the smell of racing fuel, idle of a big block 427 and history, preservation and documentation of limited production cars.
Nope - will not break the tires loose even on polished cement!!!
I actually had one back in the early 80's- a 78 I bought for $900. Needed a beater because I was commuting to School- and my other car was my 71 BB 4 speed vert- which I still have 38 years later.
Had the little 4 cylinder rebuilt and when I went to pick it up at the machine shop- their delivery truck was not available. They had always let me borrow it and their "cherry picker!!!"
So we ended up putting the engine in the passenger seat of my Vette- Only weighed a couple hundred pounds!!!
The 1st Gen Civic motors are aluminum block and head, so just a couple hundred pounds. I build a new one every other winter in my basement, and then borrow my son or daughter’s boyfriend to help me carry the long block up to the garage.
I own a 72 C3 and a 79 race Civic. I would buy the orange big block down in Louisville if I had $25k laying around.
Civic race car....... Fun car to haul on a snowmobile trailer. Be great to park it in a mall lot and watch the passersby expressions. ( and the husbands nagging wives if they can get one, for a work car of course )
Off his rocker!
Nice car but ads like that list nothing about what was done to the car, just trivia. Looks nice but for that kind of money Id want to know everything about it. Has to be some photos of the resto process somewhere.
im disappointed, after reading how much the chrome bumper cars value dropped I went over to the C3 sale section thinking I was going to find a really nice small block chrome bumper C3 for maybe 15 grand but there still asking ridiculous prices. could someone please tell them there cars are way over priced so I can steal, I mean buy one?
I had the same idea , but have to agree with you.
Biggest issue however for me now is the unfavourable euro to dollar exchange rate.
Would love to buy an older ( +30 years ) Corvette again in the USA , but the extra costs to ship it over to Europe and the taxes/importfees make it difficult.
Based on auction prices I've seen, I think the C3 market is close to what it was 8 yrs ago when I bought my project. Admittedly, Im not following private sales. I'm also glad I resto modded my 72, made it a bad *** looking car with new car suspension, brakes, and a fuel injected small block that gives up nothing compared to a hot crate LS3. Resto prices are strong, who wants a 200 hp engine? Not many. Who wants a 1:1 final drive 4 spd that spins 3000 rpm at 65? Not many. I get younger guys, 30ish guys who go crazy over what Ive done. They love the stock body lines, the modern ac, coil over suspension, 5 spd, lowered stance with big rubber, big power with fuel injection. Other touches like serpentine accesory drive make the engine bay pop. These are modern touches that make it drivable, fun, and very fast. Hell, I didnt want that box stock bull crap Chevy gave us in 72, Im a performance guy. As are most of the guys who go to the local cars and coffes each weekend. The guys who attend the all Corvette shows, snub those of us who like to modify. Just an observation from an enthusiasts perspective.... Here is a true example of different attitudes at a recent c&c. I was approached by a group of younger guys who were soaking it all in, asking questions and digging my car, when a guy 10 yrs older than me, Im 60, walks over, looks in my engine compartment and mutters, just a little engine. Yeah bud, thanks for the compliment. I guarantee my little sbc434 puts out more h.p. than a stock LS7. But, what does he know. He's a true Corvette guy.
I agree 100 percent with you Sunstroked.. I LOVE THE RESTO'S .. I often wondered why would anyone wan to buy a ALL ORIGINAL car that needs EVERYTHING !! and pay top dollar. You cant drive them I don't get it.. Any vette I bought I got at a great price and put all new parts in it so I can drive it, not look at it from my beach chair !!
Each era has its target customer base. My girlfriend's ex husband had a 56 T-bird in his basement for the whole 20 years that I knew him. It was a project and rough, but complete. Thought we could get 10K. Ended up getting 2500. People who want a 2 seat Thunderbird also want Suzanne Somers.
To each their own. I just sold my 100% stock 1971 LT-1 Coupe for mid $40’s. Soft C3’s market? Maybe for average rubber bumper C3’s. But the good chrome bumpers cars are very much in demand and are bringing strong numbers.
02-01-2019, 05:56 PM
wow 71 Green 454, you had yours since it was only 4 years old, amazing.
