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I'm looking into buying a 4spd 1979 with an L82 in the Denver area. The seller is asking $14,500. I know it has 73XXX miles and the seller claims it is basically rust-free since it's lived most of its life in the dry west.
I'm going to see it later, but assuming it's in as good a condition as the seller says it's in, is this a fair price? I see a few higher-mileage cars or automatics listed for around 10k in the area and I'm not sure that the things I like about this car (4spd, L82, A/C, fastback) justify the price.
Word of unsolicited advice.
Before you start buying cars you should have a firm idea of what the market is asking for the years you are interested in buying. Then see what the cars sold for if you can.
Watch eBay for prices, asking vs sold, is one way.
That's perfectly solicited. I looked into pricing on NADA and such but it seems like it's all over the place, so I got a bit overwhelmed. I'll take a few days to mull over eBay and other places before committing to anything, thanks.
Hagerty indicates average price is about $13,700. Certainly not able to tell the condition from a few photos but by the interior alone I'd bump the car to better than average, so maybe $14.5k isn't all that far off. When folks say it's over/under/fairly priced (me included), they really have little to base their opinion on. True condition, locality, number of available choices within your parameters, etc. all play a part in pricing. Consider too how long you hope to keep the car; paying $2000 "over" would only be an extra $100/year if kept for 20 and the value should rise in those 20.
It all comes down to the how severe the Fever hits you. Rhetorically, how much are you lusting after the car and can you afford it?
Hmmm.all working no rust.. 13...
not a lot of options like..locks, glass tops..that i can see..
maybe the photo but paint looks horrible and white hides a lot..unless original then ok
To some rust free is just that, frame is clean. To others it just means there arent holes in it but rust still covers most of it.
I wouldnt pay 10 for it. Nice interior but the its a mundane color, old paint just doesnt say "collectible" $ to me. Ive seen nicer ones listed on this site for 8-10k many times. Course its up to you, do you want this particular car, have to have it now or?
Don’t even consider anything provided by NADA. And as much as I like Hagerty, their listings are inconsistent.
Try to get more information from people that are actually familiar with the real world market. If you are considering a car with a value range like a ‘79, you should take advantage of the buyer-friendly market, regardless of how nice an example it is.
NADA guide and Hagerty both seem to only be in place to muddy the waters regarding actual values.
The Hagerty numbers shown above are a classic example of this.
Tired #4 '79's can be had all day for $4 or $5K.
What they are showing as a #3 car at $13,700 is pretty near the ceiling for a very nice '79.
Any numbers above these is simply wishful thinking.
If all else fails, use logic. GM built over 53,000 '79's. And, like 60's era T-Birds, there are just so many of them, priced all over the board, I think it will be quite a while before #2 '79's average more than the $20K shown above.
All that being said, the car you're looking at has some great qualities. The low miles are nice, the color combination is great, the L-82 with a 4 speed is a nice pair of options. If the A/C doesn't work expect to spend between $1-$2K for repair. I promise you there's no such thing as "It probably just needs a recharge" on these C3's. It looks to have a pretty good scuff on the nose. Goodyear Eagle ST's have been out of production for years so it's sitting on a very old set of tires (dangerous no matter how much tread is left) so there's another $800 you'll need to spend right away.
At $14,500 this car should need absolutely nothing done to it. You should be able to just turn the key and go.
Either beat him down to a realistic figure or keep searching. There are a lot of great Corvettes out there brother.
One has your name on it.
Cheers, Greg
White on red 4-speed L82? That's as good as it gets for a vinyl bumper car.
It will be very condition determinate. Inside looks pretty good. How is the paint in person? Notice that the photos were taken with water droplets still on it, bumper paint is faded, and the window trim is faded, so the rest of the paint is probably bad, too.
Be sure to check for rust, and pull the kick panels and look behind the dash if you can.
Check the a/c. If it don't blow cold ,deduct $4,000. If he says it needs a charge deduct $5,000.
but true thought process
I think it is a nice original car....but all post above have validity..
OP spend the time on quality checks as above..not necesaarily the price..although its high..how high? they all need repairs..and if it all checks out buy it and add 2000 wrenching yourself for a fine reliable car..or not wrenching yourself.. triple
If it just needs a charge ask him to do it for you LOL. Plan on a grand to a couple to fix as said
Ask the guy for a picture of it dry not sure youll like it
Has its good points but its going to need work. Not a ton of miles but remember many carbed cars were smokers if they ever reached 100k.
Pricing for 79?
but true thought process
