Repairing AC on these will most likely cost you $2K, would be better off installing a new system [that is my plan]
I think you made the right decision, keep looking.

PS. I view the paint flames as a deduct on value. Original cars are typically valued higher.

 

ok where are you located that will depend on what you pay. As stated be careful of a pretty paint job you have no idea what is underneath it for bodywork, Especially in resale red. My 76 was in good condition and needed little interior work and the paint was good as the owner put it only needs a little love.
Well three years into it I rebuilt the front and rear suspension, rebuilt the brake system, rebuilt the engine, changed the front and rear body to a chrome bumper look, stripped the car to bare glass (it had four repaints) I redid the interior back to the original color.

best advice keep looking 76 is not the most favorable for Corvettes If I was looking again I would look for a low production color like Green standard transmission and convertible which narrows down the years to pre 76.

 

Looks nice for $8,500.

 

Look for rust and then decide who is doing the work. Rust hides behind the windshield, in the T tops and behind the kick panels in the fron where the body mounts are, in the rear body mounts in front of and behind the tires and the frame.....Check that before bothering with anything else. Wiper systems take up a lot of hours because theres so many reasons it could be wonky. But in the end the parts arent ridiculously expensive, same with the rear end. The U joints could be seized if its old and not driven alot or worn because it is driven alot. Again, that and the rear end arent super expensive for replacements, but the rear end has alot of stuff in the way to get it out, so it takes time. I would look up the parts then double or triple the price for labor and thats how much your gonna be into it. A quick hunch is the motor may be bad so $200 for that and another $200 to replace unless the problem is a relay under the dash, then its $400 more. The rear end, you can get a decent used one for $1000 easily, but to get it out and back in is a good 6 to 8 hours of shop time, maybe half if you do it yourself...add another $1000-$2000 in labor. If you get it rebuilt double everything.

Soo take the high side and the 2 issues are about $4000. add that to the $8500 and start looking at $10000 dollar cars and see what you get. I started with a $6500 74 basket case and ended up buying a $19k 68 that had the color, L88 hood, convertible, and side pipes I wanted. If everything checks out you can drive it without wipers for quite a while. but you need a rear end. You'll be 10k into this right off the bat. If thats in your budget, do it.

Remember, that paint job could cost more than what your paying for the car from a good paint shop.

 

If the frame and the birdcage are in good condition then I would suggest you have, at minimum, a car with good bones.
Nothing takes the place of a good inspection by a qualified Corvette knowledgeable person though. When I have done inspections in the past I have used the NCRS judges inspection sheets to help guide what is good, and bad, on the car. If the repaint is very nice and you won't be painting the car any day soon then I believe you are in the right ballpark with the pricing.
Good luck with your investigation and search.
Best regards,
David Howard
AllVettes4Me

 

My recommendation. Study the 10 rules sticky. Post 107. Then go on craigslist and check out the cheap vettes near you. Not to consider buying. Kind of like checking out the women at the welfare office. See the bad stuff up close and in 3d. Then you have a better idea what bad stuff looks like hidden under shiny paint. Speaking of paint. You can NOT justify a 5 to 10k paint job on a 5 to 10k car! AND your car will be in the back of their shop for 1 to 2 years.

 

I see many threads on here about body work and paint and many people who claimed to pay more thier paint jobs than I paid for my vette in total and have no problems doing so ... I have about 9k total into my 74 including the 2700 I paid for it but it was a basket case that needed everything new engine interior wheels bodywork and paint.. I still have a popping in my rear end which my inspection shop believes is actually the clutchpack in the rear pumpkin for the posi acting up and I plan on changing the fluid and adding the additive.. it only does it when the rear end warms up I mention this because I though it was a broken ring or gear myself..

You really need to look at the car in person to tell anything.. Would you guess that this is a $700-800 paint job I did at home in my garage as a complete amateur? pics can be decieving as others said its the details where you can tell if a lot of extra care has been taken. even then.. if its a stock trailer queen you want for resale value you probably dont want this car... 76 isnt a particularly valuable year and this car was likely not red from the factory... The flames and transmission and rear end can possibly indicate it may have been treated rough then again maybe not..but you need to see it and speak in person with owner to tell more.

 

I agree. On the interwebby thingy, everyone says a car should cost $xx. But in real life it seems they are always priced MUCH higher.

 

Damn, that looks great!

 

agree with ac...most shops will want to do it right which means going through ti all, easy to spend 2k. Then wipers...rearend? easy to get sucked in by nice cosmetics but once you turn the key the rest matters. If you had 12k into it thats not so bad.
And yes most arent really ready to sell aka attached. every seller wants top buck buyers want a steal. Paint is nice though.


edot...i dont like the selling it for a friend. What is that? Guy cant talk, walk?
Could be a nice car that needs a few things or a heap that someone painted up and flipped

What area are you in maybe a good shop can be recommended

 

Yeah, welcome to the club. My favorite is 'You should be able to get a really nice chrome-bumper roadster for ~$25K.' Yeah, right. Not saying you don't occasionally come across a smoking deal, but the vast majority of the nice-looking 68-72 roadsters I've found online are considerably more expensive than that. Unfortunately.

 

The car is a pretty good buy at $7000-7500 as-is. Make him an offer around there with the present faults that it has; or tell the seller you will pay the $8500 if he fixes them ahead of the sale. That is the only way to protect yourself from 'stuff' that is damaged more than he knows or is willing to divulge to you.

 

Or you could just buy it, drive it a while as is, have your fun ...and sell it in a couple years bucked-tooth (I meant 'chipped') and all.

The wipers and gauge could very easily be a bad ground under the dash. I have another GM car that has the same thing. Classic issue. Generally speaking a lot of C3 owners are lucky to put on 1000 miles a year. The first year you'll probably put on 3000, then after 3-4 years, maybe 500 miles a year. It's amazing how many people get worked up over little things on a garage queen. ha ha

Ok ..all you guys who *claim* you drive 20k miles a year ...let me HAVE it! ha ha

 

Yep. I'm sure the seller knows how EASY it would be to fix all those 'minor issues'. That, of course, is why he has NOT fixed them so it would be ready to sell.....

 

Like the idea of offering him full price to fix those things, it would be worth it esp if the paint and int are nice.

Theres great deals out there but you have to look and be patient..many an old car has been on the market for a year or more before they finally decide to sell it.