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I'm a newbie in search of my first Corvette and would love to tap into the forum's expertise and get feedback on this 1972 4-speed coupe. I know there are strong opinions on buying from a private owner vs. a dealer, but still would appreciate thoughts on this car at this price.
About $10k too high. They couldn’t get the door panels to fit, so they drilled bunches of holes and screwed them to the door. Looks like that’s how much of the “restoration” was done.
AC Compressor belt is missing. I would factor in worst case scenario for a repair to get the cold air working again. $32K is far more than I would pay for it.
Looks mostly there and mostly unmolested. The door panels are probably repros, which tend to be ill-fitting, thus the screws. The underside looks good as far as rusting - as does the pillar surrounding the VIN tag. Looks like new rear spring cushions, sway bar cushions, and shock mounts; newish exhaust.
There is a weird mending plate on the lower radiator support; these supports tend to rust out, and appears compromised to the far right and left of the support. Not a deal-breaker, but it's a definite couple hundred $ future expense. Also not sure what's going on with the drips of blue in the same pic:
I'd be more comfortable right around $25k - this isn't a restored car, so things will fail and the cost needs to take that into account.
For a high mileage car it looks to be in pretty nice shape. Other members have pointed out some issues that you can use as bargaining chips. As a far as the engine rebuild, that can be a plus or a minus depending on your perspective. For me, I would have perferred a rebuild back to stock. For the most part the engine bay on top looks good. It has the proper air cleaner and ignition shielding for the year, but the oil filler cap is not, but its no big deal to get the correct one. The pricing is high for the condition, but that is to be expected from a broker. They put a layer of profit on top of the owner's price. Anyway, consider openning up your search to private owners. You'll need to kiss alot of toads before finding the prince.
I really want to like this car, and I do - there is a lot to like. But at this price, everything should be sorted. It's not. I agree with others - $10k too high. Hard pass at anywhere near the listed price.
PS: I see enough clues in the pics to know that the paint job appears to be a 'mask and shoot' type job. Over spray, side markers/locks/etc. not removed before painting........it looks good in the pics, but my guess is that it's a 10 foot job.
PS PS: Keep hunting - they're out there and if this in in the range of money you're willing to spend, you can do very well!!
Thanks again to everyone for the input. You all are really helping me zero in on what the value is for these cars relative to what shape they're in. I'm learning more and more about what to look for. Appreciate all the help!
Hey Jim, I'm a little late chiming in here but I agree with the others. The car is priced about 40% higher than it should be for it's current condition. A quick view of the pictures and I could give you a similar list to the earlier '72 you posted here, regarding non-working, incorrect and worn items. I buy and sell by this rule: If you're asking "all the money" (and this dealer certainly is) your ad cannot contain the words "except for" and this car has way too many "except fors". Any small block C3 priced in the 30K range should be front line ready with every button, switch and option working as designed. It should also include visual or recorded proof of all work and maintenance performed rather than vague statements like "it appears" or "seller said". I don't know anyone who would have their engine fully rebuilt and not keep the receipt. Biggest issue I see is the damage to the passenger side of the cross member shown in this pic:
I'd keep looking Jim. I generally find the best cars or the best deals can be found by dealing direct with an actual owner.
Cheers, Greg
Hey Jim, I'm a little late chiming in here but I agree with the others. The car is priced about 40% higher than it should be for it's current condition. A quick view of the pictures and I could give you a similar list to the earlier '72 you posted here, regarding non-working, incorrect and worn items. I buy and sell by this rule: If you're asking "all the money" (and this dealer certainly is) your ad cannot contain the words "except for" and this car has way too many "except fors". Any small block C3 priced in the 30K range should be front line ready with every button, switch and option working as designed. It should also include visual or recorded proof of all work and maintenance performed rather than vague statements like "it appears" or "seller said". I don't know anyone who would have their engine fully rebuilt and not keep the receipt. Biggest issue I see is the damage to the passenger side of the cross member shown in this pic:
I'd keep looking Jim. I generally find the best cars or the best deals can be found by dealing direct with an actual owner.
Cheers, Greg
Thanks again, Greg! Good to know that $30K range should get me a car that's in great shape. And I'd definitely prefer to buy from an owner. As someone here posted, they're more likely to have all the receipts, the full story of the car, and pride of ownership. I'm not in any rush and will wait until the car finds me. I assume this forum and ClassicCars.com are good places to constantly check, along with BaT, CragsList and eBay. Any others sources I should know?
There are so many things that need fixing, I doubt it's worth 20K even. Almost every picture has something that needs work, and the repairs will add up quickly, especially if you have a shop do them.
I'm a newbie in search of my first Corvette and would love to tap into the forum's expertise and get feedback on this 1972 4-speed coupe. I know there are strong opinions on buying from a private owner vs. a dealer, but still would appreciate thoughts on this car at this price.
2025 c3 ('74-'82) of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2023 C3 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2022 C3 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2020 C3 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
You're probably in love with C3's and I don't blame you. But just to let you know what $32k can buy...
My son-in-law is looking for a C6 and we found one here in town. One day late...
It was a Jetstream Blue '08 Z51 with only 13k on the clock. A 2-owner in perfect condition.
He was asking $33k...
I looked at the chassis and it appears that its had its fair share of leaks...usually where the sins of care, or lack of are preserved! The back end looks like dirt had been allowed to cake up...I would worry about the condition of the brakes and make sure on a visual inspection to look for leaks on the backside of the calipers. Then look to see if leaks have been repaired on power steering control valve (don't recall if its a PS car), engine, tranny, differential, and of course calipers. Nice image of the differential code and quite clean. I see the calipers have been replaced...but what's with those shocks? Note dirt caked up around the ball joints!
Hope this helps from the button side! And you've gotten plenty of comments on pricing. Do your inspection that counter with your findings for a lower price.
Thoughts on This 1972?
