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C3 Purchase advice thread: "should i get this C3?"
This thread is for folks who'd like outside opinions on whether they should purchase a certain C3, or kind C3 experts willing to lend a hand to those looking at cars.
To help others help you, try to include a good bit of info about the car such as :
a link to the listing, unless you're concerned about lurkers swiping it before you
the seller's asking price
year, mileage
numbers matching or non (claimed by the seller)
pictures, preferably many, in an easily linkable album such as google photos or imgur.
location of the car
relevant info about it
things you know are wrong about it, or broken on it.
Last edited by jokeitch; Nov 10, 2019 at 11:48 PM.
i'll kick it off with an example of mine, although i'm hesitant to link the exact listing in case lurking folks jump on it first.
'75 in southern california, this is like the fourth C3 owned by this guy
black on oxblood red
Odo appears to say 80,000
album of 24 pictures: https://photos.app.goo.gl/Z2q7fChV3uRwCoZUA the seller is asking $13,000 for it, which seems reasonable?
supposedly a lot of interior was replaced in the past 5 years, carpet/upper dash cover/door panels, it has a 3.08 rear end and a 4 speed, he put in the glass from a 69 so it's removable but he hasn't gotten the rubber moulding yet so it isn't water tight. There's a battery disconnect switch installed for long periods of storage.
the paint is a "ten footer" with some imperfections, he noticed paint bubbling on the hood so he sanded it down and put a matte black hood stripe on to cover it.
american racing thruster wheels, 235/60/16 rear, 225/60/16 front
looks like the steering column has also been swapped for a black one.
the engine is "new hipo 350 with Vortec heads and lots of polished alum"
he's selling due to a hip injury, can't drive stick anymore
from the pics it looks pretty good , but no good useable pics of the potential bad rust or bad repair area give away areas yet . (door gaps , hood gaps , frame no 2 mount areas etc.)
looks fairly original but the way the battery cut off switch wiring went through the cardboard tray is annoying and would bug me ,certainly not a deal breaker !!!
there's an add on steel bar at the front just behind the licence plate mount (screwed onto one of the two centre reinforcements ) just wondering what that's for ?
close up pic of the wheel shows a smaller than normal brake pad wear on the disc ?
With all that information, it's pretty easy for another interested buyer to poach your lead. But, you also include a lot of information that is not in the listing, so that is very helpful to get input from the forum.
Seems like a well-priced and well mantained car. Perhaps it's the flash that causes the interior to switch between red and dark red.
By no means the most experienced or qualified C3 expert but she looks pretty good to me at that asking price. Like bazza77 mentioned, would be better peace of mind for you if you can see more of the bird cage area and frame etc. to make sure there are no big surprises like rust or holes that seem to go deeper than just the surface.
The homemade battery disconnect is not terrible to fix. Would not be a deal breaker only a concern in terms of if that is how one of the owners came up with a solution for long-term battery storage....what else did they creatively fix on the car?
Thanks for the details. Looks pretty solid to me. Asking price sounds like there is maybe a little more wiggle room on price.
I want to investigate more about the car but unfortunately, i can't really find someone that can remotely inspect the car in that area, all the shops are too far away and the owner isn't going to drive the car somewhere to get it inspected. I live all the way up in Sf so going to check it out is not too feasible.
Even made a thread to find forum folks to take a look, but no takers yet
I want to investigate more about the car but unfortunately, i can't really find someone that can remotely inspect the car in that area, all the shops are too far away and the owner isn't going to drive the car somewhere to get it inspected. I live all the way up in Sf so going to check it out is not too feasible.
Even made a thread to find forum folks to take a look, but no takers yet
You may inquire as to whether or not there are any Corvette club chapters in that area. You may find someone who would be willing to take a look for you.
1972, black on black, was repainted at some point because the data plate says it was blue
seller's asking $14,500
ram air scoop just barely peeking out, which i ALMOST like because it only minimally impacts the hood lines. Although i was going to get a short L88 hood on whatever i get, so it's trivial to swap over
Description from the ad:
Car has non matching 350 period correct engine with a 4 speed manual trans, (don't know if that matches, never checked) the car runs and drives very nicely, the black paint is nice and shiny but has some sand marks visible in certain lighting. The headlights and wiper doors work PERFECTLY and the body lines on this vette are absolutely gorgeous, especially the wiper door which is RARE! Everything works excellent on this car! It's obviously not a show car but a very cool and nice driver. Interior is awesome as you can see and the car has many options including power windows, power steering, power disc brakes, leather interior and more. The t-tops are in perfect shape and pop out rear window as in all 1970-1972 corvettes! The hood was cut out very carefully and tastefully and has the Mr. Gasket ram air induction air cleaner. I have the pieces that were cut out if someone wants to fiberglass it back to a solid hood or just buy another one for a couple hundred bucks and paint it black! I am not a fan of the cut hood and air cleaner coming out but it is very sleek and classy for what it is! Kinda looks cool and it does function! Orig color was code 945 Bryar Blue and interior is original code 400 black. You would be hard pressed to find a better 1968-1972 vette for the money with everything working and running and driving this nicely with awesome body lines!
New in the past 2 years and 1500 miles: Seat covers, Leaf spring, Bushings, Brake pads and calipers, battery, battery switch, gas tank, mufflers, tires.
All gauges work EXCEPT the clock and the oil pressure gauge
This honestly looks pretty promising for the price, i was going to try to talk him down to 13k after i get a prepurchase inspection. Since the paint isn't super great anyway i was just going to toss is on an open-air carrier for about $1500 cross country to san francisco
There's a lot of new england patina around though, that light surface rust looking stuff around the engine bay and on the older suspension parts. Doesn't really bother me but it is "of note"
Last edited by jokeitch; Nov 14, 2019 at 01:26 PM.
It's a decent appearing car, but what was the original color? I may be wrong, but I don't think they came from the factory in black so if originality is important, that's an expensive change and if the paint wasn't done well, black shows all the seams and joints. Hard to tell from the photo, but the rear fenderwell looks flared- if done well and you like it- no biggie.
Obviously, it's about the lowest HP Vette of the era and really kicked off the single exhaust with pollution controls. The torque thrust wheels are great for the period, but again at that price, IMO you should be getting a lot more originality than appears evident.
Everything's more expensive in Southern California, but I've owned five C3s and think this one's over-priced by at least $2k pending a closer look.
i did indeed, the brown on brown color scheme is very very much not my thing, and originality isn't a factor at all for me personally since i'll be doing a lot of mods to whatever C3 i get. It's all about having good bones to start with, and avoiding really expensive stuff like replacing the interior and repainting
Last edited by jokeitch; Nov 15, 2019 at 04:52 PM.
Hey guys I am looking for advice, I found a 1980 that I like but I am not sure what to check, this is my first classic car, this one the asking price is $15k ,lowered multiple times, the car has 73000 miles, I am calling the owner today to go check it out, what should I look for in a 1980 C3???
His ad expired on CL but I still have his number, what goes bad on those? What I must check? And finally any recommended shop to do PPI in Carlsbad/Delmar/Encinitas area? Southern Cali
well, for one, you're going to want to hold your phone in landscape mode before taking a screenshot, unless the photos themselves were already like that in which case....yeah, i see that a lot in craigslist ads
It's hard to tell anything from those photos, other than that the car has an automatic and looks clean. Are those portrait screen captures of landcape images? 80s are favorite, but in CA, they may be a lot of trouble if it isn't ready to pass a smog inspection. At that price, the car should be in mint condition, ready to drive and show.
well, for one, you're going to want to hold your phone in landscape mode before taking a screenshot, unless the photos themselves were already like that in which case....yeah, i see that a lot in craigslist ads
I took it through an app so this is the best I can get, The owner told me today he repainted the car, the top was brown and he re painted it with this gold which is the same as the previous body color, replaced the exhaust system, brakes and rotors, re did the whole interior, replaced the carburetor, and the steering, I'll go check it when he has time, what do you guys think ? By the way it should be 15-20 minutes away from the black corvette you are interested in.
It's hard to tell anything from those photos, other than that the car has an automatic and looks clean. Are those portrait screen captures of landcape images? 80s are favorite, but in CA, they may be a lot of trouble if it isn't ready to pass a smog inspection. At that price, the car should be in mint condition, ready to drive and show.
This was the best i can get in terms of photo, even landscape, I am trying to see the car this weekend so will get better pics, hopefully find a good shop to do ppi.
thanks for the video, much appreciated.
Last edited by MoparGuy90; Nov 17, 2019 at 03:47 AM.
Agree with @Bikespace
the more i get into my new experience working on and buying i have summarized it like this..
is it the car you want...and will like regardless of what breaks.
Although theoretically everything can be fixed or replaced..
rust...other than obvious light surface rust....NO
collision frame. NO
is there enough original parts there if that is what you want?
Price for this car assuming above...10 to 13 k depending on love of car.
done.
1972, black on black, was repainted at some point because the data plate says it was blue seller's asking $14,500 ram air scoop just barely peeking out, which i ALMOST like because it only minimally impacts the hood lines. Although i was going to get a short L88 hood on whatever i get, so it's trivial to swap over
Description from the ad:
This honestly looks pretty promising for the price, i was going to try to talk him down to 13k after i get a prepurchase inspection. Since the paint isn't super great anyway i was just going to toss is on an open-air carrier for about $1500 cross country to san francisco
There's a lot of new england patina around though, that light surface rust looking stuff around the engine bay and on the older suspension parts. Doesn't really bother me but it is "of note"
follow up on this one, got a lemonsquad vintage report and it looks....alright. I was going to offer him more like 12 grand since there's a ton of little problems all over https://drive.google.com/drive/folde...BG?usp=sharing
not sure if this link works for anyone else though
what do you guys think?
Last edited by jokeitch; Nov 21, 2019 at 06:27 PM.
1972, black on black, was repainted at some point because the data plate says it was blue
seller's asking $14,500
ram air scoop just barely peeking out, which i ALMOST like because it only minimally impacts the hood lines. Although i was going to get a short L88 hood on whatever i get, so it's trivial to swap over
Description from the ad:
This honestly looks pretty promising for the price, i was going to try to talk him down to 13k after i get a prepurchase inspection. Since the paint isn't super great anyway i was just going to toss is on an open-air carrier for about $1500 cross country to san francisco
There's a lot of new england patina around though, that light surface rust looking stuff around the engine bay and on the older suspension parts. Doesn't really bother me but it is "of note"
Hey I live right near there. If you want me to take a look at the car for you and give an honest assessment I'd be happy to. And NO I would not buy it out from someone lol! Just PM me if you do want me to take a look at the car and be your boots on the ground here.
Hey I live right near there. If you want me to take a look at the car for you and give an honest assessment I'd be happy to. And NO I would not buy it out from someone lol! Just PM me if you do want me to take a look at the car and be your boots on the ground here.
thank you but the post just above yours, with the link to the lemon squad report, has most of the info i needed.
It's a pretty rough example and his asking of 14.5 is too high but he's quite firm on the price and has other people looking so i'm pretty "eeeh" on it
Last edited by jokeitch; Nov 21, 2019 at 04:34 PM.
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C3 Purchase advice thread: "should i get this C3?"
