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As a 12 time Corvette owner, and currently in a C8, my friend and neighbor stopped me this morning to ask me "Where is the best place to sell his 1980 C3?"
Obviously, the first place I thought of was here on CorvetteForum.com in the C3 For Sale Section......... but I'd like to ask you folks who are closer to what's real or not. He's not a member here so he'd have to join and perhaps post several times before he could place an ad.
Besides here, is there anywhere else he might get serious action? It's a 1980 all original Coupe, automatic. I told him he just missed out on Spring Carlisle. Of course there's always Corvette Carlisle weekend at the end of August, but I think he'd like to sell it before then if possible.
it needs to be somewhere between nice and special for BaT. i don't know that it isn't. is it a 5, 10, 15 or 20k car in your and his estimation? joining here is free. asking a few questions about what we think it is worth and what might improve it's curb appeal will get him the needed posts to list it. he can always put it on FB Marketplace. just watch for the people who wanna send him a check and have their driver pick it up. there is also a guy in Dennmark right now looking at 75 and 76's. https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...a-1976-c3.html nothing to lose by sending him a PM.
^^^ Thanks. It's clean, original, but a driver. Not a show car only trailered places type vehicle. I would guess it's a $15 to $20k car, but with the whacky pricing going on these days, I'm not sure.
I know my next door neighbor just paid $28k at Spring Carlisle for a '73 L82 Convertible with matching hard top, 4 speed that is also a very clean, nice car, but not a show car.
I just don't know the C3 market at all. I get what you are saying about BaT for considering listing there.....
Sevnt6....... I'm going to walk over to my neighbors house later this afternoon..... need to determine if he has a L48, or L82 engine. I'm doing some research now to look up how to determine which is which.
Sevnt6....... I'm going to walk over to my neighbors house later this afternoon..... need to determine if he has a L48, or L82 engine. I'm doing some research now to look up how to determine which is which.
Thank you....l
If the VIN is accurate as to the engine, the fifth digit should be an 8 for an L48 and a 6 for an L82.
I'm going to his house in 90 minutes and will check it out. I did just speak with him, and he's the ORIGINAL OWNER. He didn't know which engine it has but it is the original engine. I will look at the VIN numbers as well as the valve covers, harmonic balancer size.
FB Marketplace is the popular local place to list things now. Pretty much dried up Craigslist around here. But I wouldn't hesitate to put it on C/L either if I wanted to sell my car. There are some classic car sites and periodicals too, like Wheeler Dealer ..IDK how good that would be.
Ebay is a great place. You don't get as many tire-kickers or dreamers. Have several good pictures. I know several people who've sold their vehicles on Ebay, incl my brother who's sold several classic cars there. He had one guy back out when he arrived, but then he listed again and sold it again in a week. Best thing is, cars on ebay can sell real quick. He could have it sold in a week, possibly! Just represent it properly, put whatever reserve on it he feels comfortable with ...or he can put a regular sale price on it too and not have any auction risk.
Those are the top 3 places I would consider. And if you live in a larger metropolitan location, how about the local newspaper?? It's old-school, but you never know.
Hey Strake, I recognize you from the C7 forum a while ago, and I get on the C8 forum occasionally as I'm on 2 eRay lists - hope all is well. Here is a link that may help (not a lot of examples under '80 - could check out '79-'81 to widen it up a bit. The latest 12+ months have been pretty crazy): https://bringatrailer.com/search/?s=1980+corvette
^^^ Hopper12 Hi Paul, yes, I remember you from the C7 days. I spend WAY TOO MANY hours on the C8 forum..... LOL !
We've had our C8 since Aug 2020. I factory ordered it 2 days after the July 18, 2019 reveal on TV...... I was #4 at a dealer here in PA.
I've been on the C3 page recently as my next door neighbor just bought a C3 at Spring Carlisle ( '73 Convertible, L82 ) and helped to point him in the right direction, as well as another neighbor who has owned this '80 L48 Coupe since it was new. Trying to help him out to determine what it might be worth. He had been saving it for his son, who isn't interested in it, so he'll go ahead and sell it. I'll post a few pics in a few minutes.....
As requested, here's some info and pics of my friend's ORIGINAL OWNER C3...... it DOES appear to have the L48 engine. 38,424 actual miles. Everything works, A/C; PS, PB, PW. He doesn't have the window sticker, but does have the books. The car has never been driven in winter weather ( snow, slush, salt, etc). Never in an accident of any type.
When he determines what he wants to ask, he'll pull it out of the garage for some proper pictures and list it for sale a few places. At present, the car has NOT been cleaned up at all, just uncovered so I could see the engine, etc.
As I'm NOT a C3 guy, I don't know what else to be looking for. It looks like a really clean driver to me. I really appreciate all the guidance you all are providing. THANK YOU ! We're open to suggestions for what is a reasonable $$$ to ask as well as what else he needs to post about it.
Engine bay L48 Nose Port Side, hood open Interior pic Port side hood closed Odometer 38,424 original miles Starboard side view seats VIN Plate
He had been saving it for his son, who isn't interested in it, so he'll go ahead and sell it.
That's unfortunate. I'll bet his son will regret that decision down the road - but probably better to get it into the hands of someone who will like and use it.
I checked 'Corvette DNA' but I don't think their numbers reflect what the market has been doing over the past year or so. I think Hagerty values are a bit optimistic at times, but in this case they may be close. I think, for a car like this (one owner, extremely nice, etc.) he'll need to get it in front of some enthusiasts that are really into the later C3s. I would try the FS section of this forum first, and then consider BAT. It's a good time of year to sell if he's not going to regret it. One wild card right now is the crazy state of the economy/market - might make some a little hesitant to pull the trigger on a 'toy' for a bit. But there is still plenty of $ out there. Just needs to find the right person. That's a beautiful '80! Best, Paul
Thanks Paul ! I appreciate all the feedback and guidance. I've suggested that he take it to a nice size car show this Memorial Day just up the road from us 10 minutes with a For Sale sign on the window. Last year they had 800 cars there. Don't know if they had other plans for the Holiday, but this would be a start for him. Then I'll suggest he take some good photos of it and post it here on CF .
As a side note, I'm having a lot of fun getting out of my C8 element to help out my 2 friends who have C3's. Neither of them are on any of the forums, and the next door neighbor with his new to him '73 L82 Convertible has needed some assistance to fix a few issues with his car...... passenger door would not open. Replaced door lock mechanism, etc now all fixed. Parking brake is next on his list. I'm having fun finding him the best places to purchase needed parts, etc and looking up how to fix those issues. Fun times !!!! For me, at least !
As a side note, I'm having a lot of fun getting out of my C8 element to help out my 2 friends who have C3's. Neither of them are on any of the forums, and the next door neighbor with his new to him '73 L82 Convertible has needed some assistance to fix a few issues with his car...... passenger door would not open. Replaced door lock mechanism, etc now all fixed. Parking brake is next on his list. I'm having fun finding him the best places to purchase needed parts, etc and looking up how to fix those issues. Fun times !!!! For me, at least !
I need to issue a 'warning'. You are catching the 'I NEED a C3' disease. It's okay. It leads to lots of fun; an additional vette or two; donating blood to your C3 as you work on it; and much more. In 2017 my wife and I were on a day road trip in our first C7. 2 lane 60 mph road and we blew past a '72 sitting in front of a ranch with a for sale sign in the window. Me: "That looked nice". Her: "Turn around a look at it". Me: "Okay". It had great bones and was really nice, so I bought it. But I only had the initial symptoms of the disease. That led to a '68 427/435 roadster in 2019, another C7, and I'm now looking for a C1 or 2 and am on 2 eRay lists. Just letting you know that it's likely to happen, and there are lots of people in C3 CF that will give your friends, and you, lots of help!
Paul, I've owned 12 Vettes now..... one at a time, unfortunately. My first was a '65 Roadster numbers matching car back in 1975 when I was 22 year old....... If there is any additional Vette, I can guarantee you it would be another C2..... still my favorite next to the C8 but for different reasons.
Seeking advise
